How does the passage demonstrate a view that was commonly held during the 1800s? In the 1800s, women were expected to be submiss
ive to men, and Nora is discovering that Helmer has taken advantage of that. In the 1800s, women and men were expected to share the burden of raising children, and Helmer does not share the burden equally. In the 1800s, men were supposed to do everything in their power to please their wives and families, and Helmer has failed at that. In the 1800s, women were supposed to be dependent, so when Nora claims independence, Helmer responds by acting strangely.
In order to answer this question, one must think about the time period. This is long before women had jobs outside of the home. They were expected to care for the home and the children, take care of the needs of their husband, and be seen, not heard. Keeping those characteristics in mind and reading through all the answers, the only logical answer would be the first one: In the 1800s, women were expected to be submissive to men (do what they are told to do by the man), and Nora was discovering that Helmer has taken advantage of that.
The word “scrutinized” suggests that the government is not just idly watching the movements of its citizens, it is actively looking and picking apart everything they do to watch for any sort of infraction. The word “watched” would have had a much less ominous, as well as less active, feeling.
