Demons MCQs

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Author: Nasir Iqbal | Assistant Professor of English Literature

Demons MCQs
Updated on: November 2, 2025
Estimated Reading Time: 15 min

Demons MCQs

1. Stepan Trofimovich’s introductory details are presented as what?

A. Philosophical treatise
B. Chronicle introduction
C. Detailed history
D. Literary critique

B. Chronicle introduction.
The narrator states these details are simply an introduction to the proposed chronicle, with the main story yet to come.

2. Stepan Trofimovich’s allegorical poem is described as reminiscent of which famous work?

A. Homer’s Odyssey
B. Goethe’s Faust 2
C. Byron’s long poems
D. Shakespeare’s Hamlet

B. Goethe’s Faust 2.
The lyrical, dramatic form of the poem is explicitly compared to the second part of Faust.

3. What does the civilised young man desire most in the poem?

A. Political influence
B. Eternal, true love
C. Lose mind quickly
D. Compose an opera

C. Lose mind quickly.
He seeks oblivion, stating his greatest desire is to lose his mind immediately.

4. How did Varvara Petrovna manage his hystérical letters?

A. Burned them fast
B. Returned them unopened
C. Numbered and stored
D. Replied passionately

C. Numbered and stored.
She read them carefully, then numbered and sorted them in a special box for reference.
5. Varvara Petrovna is physically described as resembling a?

A. Bony, tall horse
B. Petite, curly woman
C. Plump, short beauty
D. Striking blue eyes

A. Bony, tall horse.
She is characterised as tall, yellow, bony, with a long face resembling a horse’s.

6. What author did Stepan hide in his pocket?

A. Paul de Kock
B. Alexis de Tocqueville
C. William Shakespeare
D. Ivan Krylov

A. Paul de Kock.
He carried Tocqueville openly but secretly hid a Paul de Kock in his pocket to read.

7. Stepan Trofimovich secretly confessed he was a?

A. Wealthy investor
B. Capitalist exploiter
C. Simple sponger
D. Famous intellectual

C. Simple sponger.
He secretly confided in the narrator: “je suis simply a sponger, et rien de plus”.

8. What was the official reason for Varvara’s Petersburg journey?

A. Establish a magazine
B. Renew high connections
C. Meet her only son
D. Hire a new tutor

C. Meet her only son.
The stated reason for the journey was to see her son finishing his lyceum studies.

9. She was accused of being what when planning a magazine?

A. Lacking talent
B. Too religious
C. Capitalist exploiter
D. Political novice

C. Capitalist exploiter.
Accusations that she was a capitalist and exploiter of labour were immediately directed at her.
10. What did the five men demand she do with the magazine?

A. Pay consulting fees
B. Hire a new editor
C. Transfer to them
D. Publish approved art

C. Transfer to them.
They insisted she transfer the magazine and funds to their free cooperative association immediately.

11. Liputin secretly champions which political system?

A. Conservative rule
B. Fourierist harmony
C. Atheistic nihilism
D. English liberalism

B. Fourierist harmony.
Liputin is described as a fierce partisan of future ‘social harmony,’ meaning he is a Fourierist.

12. Stepan compared Stavrogin’s youth to whom?

A. Achilles in a tent
B. Prince Harry with Falstaff
C. Oedipus solving the riddle
D. Nero playing music

B. Prince Harry with Falstaff.
Stepan Trofimovich likened Nikolay’s stormy years to Prince Harry roistering with Falstaff.

13. Nikolay Vsevolodovich physically attacked Ivan Osipovich by?

A. Slapping his face
B. Biting his ear
C. Throwing champagne
D. Stealing his wallet

B. Biting his ear.
Nicolas seized the upper part of Ivan Osipovich’s ear in his teeth and clamped down.

14. Doctors explained Stavrogin’s biting behaviour as?

A. Boundless arrogance
B. Acute brain fever
C. Political statement
D. Excessive drinking

B. Acute brain fever.
Doctors concluded that his outrageous actions were caused by acute brain fever and delirium.
15. Varvara wanted Stepan to marry Dasha so Dasha could be his?

A. Financial advisor
B. Literary assistant
C. Good nursemaid
D. Political guide

C. Good nursemaid.
Varvara explicitly states Darya will be a good, sensible, modest, steadfast nursemaid for him.

16. What work did Stepan plan after his engagement?

A. History of Germany
B. Spanish History Tales
C. Social Harmony
D. Sistine Madonna

B. Spanish History Tales.
He was planning to work on his incomplete manuscript, Tales from Spanish History.

17. Darya was to give Varvara how much for Stepan’s debt?

A. Seven thousand roubles
B. Eight thousand roubles
C. Three hundred roubles
D. Fifteen thousand roubles

B. Eight thousand roubles.
Darya was to hand over eight thousand roubles to pay Stepan Trofimovich’s debt.

18. Darya’s annual allowance would cease when?

A. When she died
B. When he died
C. After one year
D. If she left

B. When he died.
The annual allowance would continue only until Stepan Trofimovich’s death because it was technically his.

19. Karmazinov’s shipwreck article served only to display the author’s?

A. Objective realism
B. Insight into poor
C. Personal ego
D. Religious feeling

C. Personal ego.
The article’s sole purpose was to display the author’s character and personal reaction to the event.
20. Varvara asked Stavrogin if Marya Timofeyevna was his?

A. Financial debtor
B. Lawful wife
C. Political partner
D. Secret mistress

B. Lawful wife.
She asked him immediately and authoritatively if the crîppled woman sitting there was his lawful wife.

21. How did Stavrogin first respond to his mother’s question?

A. Denied everything
B. Shouted in fury
C. Smiled, kissed hand, silent
D. Replied in French

C. Smiled, kissed hand, silent.
He stared, gave a slow, condescending smile, kissed her hand, and said nothing at all.

22. Pyotr suggested Stavrogin marry Marya T. due to his thirst for?

A. Lofty compassion
B. Financial gain
C. Mockery and contrast
D. Temporary illness

C. Mockery and contrast.
Pyotr Stepanovich attributed the marriage to a “mockery of life” and thirst for contrast.

23. Marya Timofeyevna repeatedly addresses Stavrogin as?

A. Beloved teacher
B. Spiritual father
C. Prince
D. Noble knight

C. Prince.
Marya Timofeyevna shows a clear delusion, consistently addressing Nikolay Vsevolodovich as “Prince”.

24. Marya Timofeyevna associated Stavrogin with which cursed figure?

A. Ancus Marcius
B. Columbus
C. Grishka Otrepyev
D. Pechorin

C. Grishka Otrepyev.
She asks Stavrogin if he has read about Grishka Otrepyev, who was cursed in seven cathedrals.
25. Captain Lebyadkin planned to bequeath his skeleton to an?

A. American factory
B. Academy
C. Akmolinsk regiment
D. Local publisher

B. Academy.
He confined his legacy to students, leaving his skeleton to an academy with a label.

26. Shatov claims that which people are the only “God-bearing” people?

A. German
B. French
C. Russian
D. American

C. Russian.
Shatov asks Stavrogin if he knows the only “God-bearing” people, meaning the Russian people.

27. When asked if he believes in God, what did Shatov reply?

A. I believe in mánkind.
B. I will believe.
C. I believe in science.
D. I believe in nature.

B. I will believe.
After detailing his beliefs about Russia and Orthodoxy, Shatov finally stated, “I… I will believe in God”.

28. Stavrogin is accused of equating bestial carnality with a?

A. Religious calling
B. Political protest
C. Heroic deed
D. Financial decision

C. Heroic deed.
Shatov asked if Stavrogin found equal beauty in bestial carnality and sacrificing one’s life.

29. Kirillov compared his brief seconds of harmony to what object?

A. Spilt water
B. Mohammed’s pitcher
C. Sistine Madonna
D. Loud thunder

B. Mohammed’s pitcher.
Kirillov’s sensation is likened to Mohammed’s pitcher that did not spill during his flight.
30. Man becomes God when he conquers which two things?

A. Riches and fame
B. Ignorance and pride
C. Pain and fear
D. Hunger and cold

C. Pain and fear.
Kirillov claims whoever conquers pain and fear, “he himself will be God”.

31. Pyotr decided his best role was a simpleminded, verbose what?

A. Tragic philosopher
B. Military superior
C. Nonentity
D. Foreign emissary

C. Nonentity.
Pyotr aimed to talk quickly and at length, convincing listeners of his simplemindedness and lack of gifts.

32. Pyotr suggested binding the ‘group of five’ by murdering the?

A. Leader
B. Fifth member
C. Oldest member
D. Government spy

B. Fifth member.
He suggests forcing four members to kill the fifth member to bind them with spilt blood.

33. Karmazinov claims Russians are most attracted by the right to?

A. Unlimited property
B. Universal peace
C. Dishonour
D. Return to serfdom

C. Dishonour.
Karmazinov states that openly advocating the right to dishonour will ensure everyone joins the cause.

34. Shigalyov’s system divides mánkind into what parts ratio?

A. Equal halves
B. One-tenth free, nine-tenths slave
C. Elite and obedient
D. Two opposite collectives

B. One-tenth free, nine-tenths slave.
His plan divides humanity: one-tenth receives rights over the remaining nine-tenths, who become slaves.
35. Pyotr says equality is achieved by fostering drunkenness, gossip, and?

A. Education
B. Denunciation
C. Thriftiness
D. Religious law

B. Denunciation.
Pyotr asserts they must foster drunkenness, gossip, and denunciation to stifle genius and level society.

36. Pyotr claims which professionals are “ours” due to their crime views?

A. Generals and clergy
B. Bankers and merchants
C. Teachers and lawyers
D. Farmers and owners

C. Teachers and lawyers.
Teachers who mock God and jurors who acquit educated murderers are claimed as belonging to them.

37. Pyotr plans to proclaim destruction to reveal whom as leader?

A. Fyodor the Convict
B. Pyotr Stepanovich
C. Nikolay Stavrogin
D. Shigalyov, the theorist

C. Nikolay Stavrogin.
Pyotr states that destruction will lead to revealing Stavrogin, the beautiful, god-like figure.

38. All the town ladies shared what opinion of Yuliya Mikhaylovna?

A. Adoration
B. Merciless hatred
C. Political support
D. Fanatical devotion

B. Merciless hatred.
The ladies were united by a merciless hatred of Yuliya Mikhaylovna, despite their own differences.

39. Karmazinov intended his final piece, “Merci,” as a what?

A. Call to action
B. Art critique
C. Final farewell
D. Financial plea

C. Final farewell.
The article “Merci” was intended as his final piece, announcing he was laying down his pen.
40. What famous artwork did Stepan intend to discuss in his speech?

A. St. Basil Cathedral
B. Sistine Madonna
C. Karlsruhe pipe
D. Crimean War map

B. Sistine Madonna.
Stepan planned to read about the Sistine Madonna, arguing for its importance as true beauty.

41. Stepan Trofimovich claimed the manifestos’ secret power lay in their?

A. Christian faith
B. Genius
C. Sheer stupidity
D. Elegant writing

C. Sheer stupidity.
He claimed their entire effect lay in their pure, narrow, and naive stupidity.

42. The professor at the gala repeatedly raised and smashed his right what?

A. Fists
B. Book
C. Chair
D. Glass

A. Fists.
The short, bald professor repeatedly raised and smashed his right fist in the air.

43. What was the fate of Captain Lebyadkin and his sister?

A. Emigrated to Iceland
B. Arrested for leaflets
C. Found murdered
D. Went into hiding

C. Found murdered.
Liza mentions people saying that they cut his wife’s throat, referring to the Lebyadkins.

44. Stepan compared Russia to the Biblical passage about the possessed what?

A. Shepherd
B. Sea
C. Sick man
D. Pigs

C. Sick man.
Russia is seen as the sick man, possessed by demons (filth), who will soon be healed.
45. Varvara’s deepest wound involved Stepan’s new what?

A. Political activism
B. Tie and perfume
C. Gambling losses
D. Secret meetings

B. Tie and perfume.
Varvara recalls his new tie, perfume, and cigar moment related to his marriage proposal to Dasha.

46. Stepan Trofimovich chose to flee on foot because he feared whom?

A. The police arrested him
B. Varvara stops him
C. Pyotr is hunting him
D. Losing his money

B. Varvara stops him.
He was afraid Varvara Petrovna would discover his plan and stop him by force.

47. In his document, Stavrogin admits guilt concerning his wife’s what?

A. Property
B. Death
C. Illness
D. Honor

B. Death.
Stavrogin affirms in his confession to Tikhon that he is guilty in his conscience for his wife’s death.

48. Stavrogin’s servant warned him he was uncertain about the local what?

A. Severe weather
B. Deserted lanes’ folk
C. River depth
D. Mother’s mood

B. Deserted lanes’ folk.
The old servant warned Stavrogin about the untrustworthy local folk in deserted lanes by the river.

49. What is the name of the book-pedlar woman?

A. Darya Pavlovna
B. Lizaveta Nikolayevna
C. Sofya Matveyevna
D. Varvara Petrovna

C. Sofya Matveyevna.
Varvara Petrovna asks and learns the book-pedlar’s name is Sofya Matveyevna.
50. What phrase did Varvara use for von Lembke’s officious behaviour?

A. Simpleminded folly
B. Administrative ecstasy
C. Liberal sentiment
D. Political ambition

B. Administrative ecstasy.
Stepan Trofimovich discusses von Lembke’s officious, power-displaying behaviour, calling it “administrative ecstasy”.

Brief Overview

Demons, also translated as The Possessed, is a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, published in 1872. The novel is a political and social prophecy, detailing the disastrous consequences of nihilism and radical revolutionary thought in a provincial Russian town.

The story introduces the respected but ineffective liberal intellectual, Stepan Trofimovich Verkhovensky. He was the tutor of Nikolay Stavrogin, the wealthy, handsome, and deeply troubled son of Varvara Petrovna. Stavrogin is known for his strangely offensive and destructive behavior.

A pivotal moment occurs when Ivan Shatov, his former serf, strikes Stavrogin. Shatov accuses Stavrogin of both lying and degradation. Stavrogin is secretly married to Marya Timofeyevna Lebyadkina, a disabled woman, further complicating his life.

Stepan Trofimovich’s son, Pyotr Stepanovich, arrives as the main instigator of chaos. Pyotr leads a small, amateur revolutionary cell and plots to unify the group by committing murder. Shatov is subsequently killed in the park.

The town is plagued by escalating chaos, including public scandals and a disastrous literary gala. A massive fire then engulfs the city. During the fire, Marya Lebyadkina and her brother, Captain Lebyadkin, are also murdered. Stavrogin later feels intense guilt for his wife’s death.

The novel concludes tragically when Nikolay Stavrogin commits suícide by hanging himself at his estate. He leaves a note that takes responsibility for his final action.

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