The correct answer is the following: <em>option C. The stage directions in brackets affect the meaning of the text by showing the reader that Torvald thinks that Nora bought too much.</em> The stage directions in the excerpt help the reader understand that the character of Torvald thinks that his wife is spending too much money. He is first reluctant to open his door and leave the room he is in at the moment, but as soon as his wife mentions that she has bought some stuff, he opens the door and looks into the room, to comment: "Has my little spendthrift been wasting money again"?. And although his comment is made with humor and not in an angry way, the reader can assume that he indeed thinks his wife spends too much money.
I believe the dependent variable in this experiment is the time for salt to dissolve since it <u>depends</u> on the speed of stirring (independent variable).
