This question is incomplete because part of the text is missing; here is the complete question and text:
Read the passage from A Doll's House.
[SCENE: A room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly. At the back, a door to the right leads to the entrance-hall, another to the left leads to Helmer's study. Between the doors stands a piano. In the middle of the left-hand wall is a door, and beyond it a window. Near the window are a round table, arm-chairs and a small sofa. In the right-hand wall, at the farther end, another door; and on the same side, nearer the footlights, a stove, two easy chairs and a rocking-chair; between the stove and the door, a small table. Engravings on the walls; a cabinet with china and other small objects; a small book-case with well-bound books. The floors are carpeted, and a fire burns in the stove.
It is winter. A bell rings in the hall; shortly afterwards the door is heard to open. Enter NORA, humming a tune and in high spirits. She is in outdoor dress and carries a number of parcels; these she lays on the table to the right. She leaves the outer door open after her, and through it is seen a porter who is carrying a Christmas Tree and a basket, which he gives to the maid who has opened the door.]
Nora: Hide the Christmas Tree carefully, Helen. Be sure the children do not see it until this evening, when it is dressed. [To the porter, taking out her purse.] How much?
Why does the author of the play include the first paragraph of stage directions?
a)To allow the readers to get to know the characters
b)To explain how a character feels about something
c)To allow the reader to visualize the play's setting
d)To familiarize the reader with the theme of the play
The correct answer is C. To allow the reader to visualize the play's settings
Explanation:
The purpose of stage directions is to provide information that complements the dialogs of characters in a play. This includes details about the setting and descriptions of the actions of the characters. In the case of the excerpt presented, the main purpose of the stage directions in paragraph 1 is to describe the setting and in this way allow the reader to imagine it. This can be seen in details such as "A room furnished comfortably and tastefully, but not extravagantly" or "between the stove and the door, a small table" that focuses on describing the arrangement of objects in the room and the general features of it.
