Vitnemål Eksamen (Norway) · Norwegian Language and Literature (Vitnemål Norway)

Literature, Language and Text Analysis

78 practice questions, each with the answer and an explanation.

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All 78 questions

  1. Which Norwegian playwright wrote 'A Doll's House' (Et dukkehjem), first published in 1879?
  2. At the end of 'A Doll's House', what does the main character Nora decide to do?
  3. Which Norwegian author received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928 and wrote the trilogy 'Kristin Lavransdatter'?
  4. Which Norwegian novelist wrote the psychological novel 'Hunger' (Sult), published in 1890?
  5. Which writer received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023 and writes in the nynorsk written standard?
  6. What are the two official written standards of Norwegian?
  7. Who created the written standard that later became nynorsk, based on Norwegian dialects?
  8. Which pair collected Norwegian folk tales and published them from the 1840s?
  9. Which Norwegian composer wrote the music for Ibsen's play 'Peer Gynt'?
  10. Which author wrote the philosophical novel 'Sophie's World' (Sofies verden), published in 1991?
  11. Who wrote the words of the Norwegian national song 'Ja, vi elsker dette landet'?
  12. How many letters does the Norwegian alphabet have, and which three are added to the English letters?
  13. Which genre tells a story in prose and is usually longer than a short story?
  14. What is a metaphor?
  15. What is personification?
  16. Which literary period is Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' usually placed in?
  17. Which statement describes 'national romanticism' in Norwegian culture?
  18. In a text, what is the thesis?
  19. Which of the three rhetorical appeals relies on the speaker's trustworthiness and expertise?
  20. What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction (sakprosa)?
  21. Which part of a sentence usually contains the verb and says what the subject does?
  22. In Norwegian, how is the definite form of a noun mostly made, for example 'bok' (book) becomes 'boka' or 'boken'?
  23. Which sentence is written in the passive voice?
  24. Which sentence contains a simile?
  25. Read: 'The factory chimney coughed black smoke over a town that learned not to look up.' Which devices are used?
  26. 'Norway's roads are safe, so we do not need to lower the speed limit. After all, most drivers say they feel safe.' What is the weakness of this argument?
  27. 'Ibsen made visible what society hid.' Which reading of this sentence is best?
  28. 'Although the fjord was frozen, the villagers crossed it by sled because they had to reach the doctor.' How many clauses does the sentence have?
  29. Which sentence has a misplaced modifier?
  30. A short story begins with a calm morning, builds tension when a letter arrives, reaches a confrontation, and then ends with a quiet decision. Where is the climax?
  31. What is an unreliable narrator?
  32. What is the purpose of a topic sentence in a paragraph?
  33. Which of these is a primary source for a study of a historic event?
  34. Which genre is written to be performed on a stage by actors?
  35. What does a symbol do in a literary text?
  36. What is the setting of a story?
  37. In Norwegian literature and language, which landmark 1879 drama by Henrik Ibsen culminates in Nora Helmer walking out on her husband Torvald and slamming the door?
  38. In Norwegian literature and language, which central philosophical concept is coined by Dr. Relling in Henrik Ibsen's 1884 play 'The Wild Duck' (Vildanden)?
  39. In Norwegian literature and language, in Henrik Ibsen's verse drama 'Peer Gynt' (1867), what is the troll motto proclaimed by the Dovregubben in the Hall of the Mountain King?
  40. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1881 naturalist drama by Henrik Ibsen sparked moral outrage for treating hereditary syphilis, euthanasia, and religious hypocrisy?
  41. In Norwegian literature and language, in Henrik Ibsen's 1890 tragedy 'Hedda Gabler', which fateful object belonging to her father General Gabler symbolizes Hedda's destructive aristocratic pride?
  42. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1857 peasant tale (bondefortelling) by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson tells the love story of the hot-tempered Torbjørn and the gentle Synnøve?
  43. In Norwegian literature and language, in which year did Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming Norway's first literary laureate?
  44. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1883 realist novel by Alexander Kielland severely criticizes the authoritarian school system through the tragic fate of little Marius?
  45. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1883 novel by Jonas Lie portrays the domestic constraints and limited marriage choices faced by daughters in an official's household?
  46. In Norwegian literature and language, which groundbreaking 1890 modernist novel by Knut Hamsun depicts the psychological delusions and physical torment of an impoverished writer in Kristiania?
  47. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1890 theoretical manifesto by Knut Hamsun called on writers to abandon superficial social problem plays and explore 'the unconscious life of the mind'?
  48. In Norwegian literature and language, which monumental 1917 epic novel by Knut Hamsun tells the story of the solitary pioneer Isak Sellanraa cultivating wilderness land?
  49. In Norwegian literature and language, which three novels comprise Sigrid Undset's acclaimed historical trilogy 'Kristin Lavransdatter' set in 14th-century medieval Norway?
  50. In Norwegian literature and language, for which major literary achievement was Sigrid Undset awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1928?
  51. In Norwegian literature and language, which prominent Norwegian naturalist author wrote the bleak tetralogy 'The People of Hellemyr' (Hellemyrsfolket)?
  52. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1854-1855 pioneering feminist novel by Camilla Collett is widely regarded as Norway's first modern realist novel?
  53. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1957 psychological masterpiece by Tarjei Vesaas portrays the vulnerable, nature-attuned outsider Mattis, nicknamed 'Tusten'?
  54. In Norwegian literature and language, in Tarjei Vesaas's 1963 allegorical novel 'The Ice Palace' (Is-slottet), what leads the young girl Unn to enter the frozen waterfall?
  55. In Norwegian literature and language, which iconic semi-autobiographical trilogy of novels by Cora Sandel depicts an aspiring female artist from northern Norway struggling in Paris?
  56. In Norwegian literature and language, which dramatic scene in Dag Solstad's 1992 novel 'Shyness and Dignity' (Genanse og verdighet) triggers teacher Elias Rukla's existential breakdown?
  57. In Norwegian literature and language, which contemporary Norwegian dramatist and author was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2023?
  58. In Norwegian literature and language, which literary technique is characteristic of Jon Fosse's plays and prose, such as 'Trilogien' and 'Septologien'?
  59. In Norwegian literature and language, which self-taught philologist traveled across rural Norway in the 1840s to document dialects and construct the written standard Landsmål (Nynorsk)?
  60. In Norwegian literature and language, which linguist and educator is known as the 'father of Bokmål' (Riksmål) for advocating the gradual Norwegianisation of written Danish?
  61. In Norwegian literature and language, what was the historic significance of the parliamentary resolution 'Jamstillingsvedtaket' adopted by the Storting in 1885?
  62. In Norwegian literature and language, what was the primary objective of the state language policy known as 'Samnorsk', pursued through orthographic reforms in the 20th century?
  63. In Norwegian literature and language, into which four primary traditional dialect regions are mainland Norwegian spoken dialects usually classified?
  64. In Norwegian literature and language, what is the linguistic function of 'tonelag' (pitch accent or tonemes) in the Norwegian language?
  65. In Norwegian literature and language, which phonetic phenomenon occurs in Eastern Norwegian and Trøndersk when an /r/ is followed by /d/, /t/, /n/, /l/, or /s/?
  66. In Norwegian literature and language, what is the standard syntactic word order rule governing finite verbs in Norwegian main clauses (helsetninger)?
  67. In Norwegian literature and language, in Norwegian orthography, what is a 'særskrivingsfeil' (erroneous word splitting)?
  68. In Norwegian literature and language, how does Bokmål treat the feminine grammatical gender in contemporary usage?
  69. In Norwegian literature and language, which internationally acclaimed 2003 novel by Per Petterson begins with the narrator Trond Sander reflecting 'Early November. It's nine o'clock.'?
  70. In Norwegian literature and language, which monumental six-volume autobiographical novel cycle by Karl Ove Knausgård provoked intense literary debate worldwide?
  71. In Norwegian literature and language, which famous collector duo gathered and published the classic 'Norske Folkeeventyr' (Norwegian Folk Tales) during the National Romantic era?
  72. In Norwegian literature and language, what was the core ideological conflict between Henrik Wergeland and Johan Sebastian Welhaven in the 1830s?
  73. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1861 classic travelogue by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje is considered the first major prose work written in Landsmål (Nynorsk)?
  74. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1883 naturalistic novel by Arne Garborg depicts the disillusionment and identity crisis of the peasant student Daniel Braut in Christiania?
  75. In Norwegian literature and language, which 1893 poem by Sigbjørn Obstfelder, expressing profound alienation with the line 'Jeg er vist kommet paa en feil klode!', is celebrated as Norway's first mode…
  76. In Norwegian literature and language, what are the two official written forms of the Norwegian language recognized by the state today?
  77. In Norwegian literature and language, what is the primary statutory responsibility of Språkrådet (The Language Council of Norway)?
  78. In Norwegian literature and language, what is the grammatical rule regarding stress placement in Norwegian compound nouns (sammensatte ord)?

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