In the olden days the thunder and lightning lived on the earth amongst all the other people, but the king made them live at the far end of the town, as far as possible from other people's houses.
the thunder was an old mother sheep, and the lightning was her son, a ram. whenever the ram got angry he used to go about and burn houses and knock down trees; he even did damage on the farms, and sometimes killed people. whenever the lightning did these things, his mother used to call out to him in a very loud voice to stop and not to do any more damage; but the lightning did not care in the least for what his mother said, and when he was in a bad temper used to do a very large amount of damage. at last the people could not stand it any longer, and complained to the king.
so the king made a special order that the sheep (thunder) and her son, the ram (lightning), should leave the town and live in the far bush. this did not do much good, as when the ram got angry he still burnt the forest, and the flames sometimes spread to the farms and consumed them.
so the people complained again, and the king banished both the lightning and the thunder from the earth and made them live in the sky, where they could not cause so much destruction. ever since, when the lightning is angry, he commits damage as before, but you can hear his mother, the thunder, rebuking him and telling him to stop. sometimes, however, when the mother has gone away some distance from her naughty son, you can still see that he is angry and is doing damage, but his mother's voice cannot be heard.
a primary theme in this folktale could be said to be?
a) the seemingly arbitrary destructiveness of nature
b) the futility of human companionship
c) the consequences of failed discipline
d) the folly of monarchy

Read the excerpt from act 2 of a doll's house. nora: [quickly] he mustn't get the letter. tear it up. i will find some means of getting money. krogstad: excuse me, mrs. helmer, but i think i told you just now— nora: i am not speaking of what i owe you. tell me what sum you are asking my husband for, and i will get the money. krogstad: i am not asking your husband for a penny. nora: what do you want, then? krogstad: i will tell you. i want to rehabilitate myself, mrs. helmer; i want to get on; and in that your husband must me. for the last year and a half i have not had a hand in anything dishonourable, amid all that time i have been struggling in most restricted circumstances. i was content to work my way up step by step. now i am turned out, and i am not going to be satisfied with merely being taken into favour again. i want to get on, i tell you. i want to get into the bank again, in a higher position. your husband must make a place for me— nora: that he will never do! krogstad: he will; i know him; he dare not protest. and as soon as i am in there again with him, then you will see! within a year i shall be the manager's right hand. it will be nils krogstad and not torvald helmer who manages the bank. nora: that's a thing you will never see! krogstad: do you mean that you will—? nora: i have courage enough for it now. krogstad: oh, you can't frighten me. a fine, spoilt lady like you— nora: you will see, you will see. krogstad: under the ice, perhaps? down into the cold, coal-black water? and then, in the spring, to float up to the surface, all horrible and unrecognisable, with your hair fallen out— nora: you can't frighten me. krogstad: nor you me. people don't do such things, mrs. helmer. besides, what use would it be? i should have him completely in my power all the same. nora: afterwards? when i am no longer— krogstad: have you forgotten that it is i who have the keeping of your reputation? [nora stands speechlessly looking at him.] well, now, i have warned you. do not do anything foolish. when helmer has had my letter, i shall expect a message from him. and be sure you remember that it is your husband himself who has forced me into such ways as this again. i will never forgive him for that. goodbye, mrs. helmer. [exit through the hall.] what conflict does krogstad introduce? krogstad tells nora that he has written a letter telling helmer about her affair with the doctor. krogstad refuses to forgive helmer unless nora finds a way to come up with more money. krogstad tries to blackmail nora into getting helmer to keep him at the bank by exposing her forgery. krogstad plans to take helmer’s job managing the bank and ruin nora’s reputation while doing so.