Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky Study questions

Crime and Punishment

Facts about Fyodor Dostoyevsky

➾ Despite being a well-known author, Dostoyevsky lived in near-poverty and was plagued by compulsive gambling debts.

➾ His father, a doctor who ruled the family strictly, was murdered by his own serfs who poured vodka down his throat.

➾ Although he loved literature, his father forced him to train in engineering at the military academy in St. Petersburg.

➾ Dostoyevsky was arrested for treason after joining the Petrashevsky Circle, a group of radical intellectuals who advocated government reform.

➾ He was taken before a firing squad and stood waiting for execution before a messenger arrived to announce that the tsar had commuted his death sentence.

➾ Authorities are believed to have intended the execution to be a mock execution all along, designed for psychological punishment.

➾ His prison experiences and near-death moment converted him from pro-Western liberal-socialist ideas to an intense spirituality and a specific Russian brand of Christianity.

➾ He had to spend several years after his prison camp term in Siberia as an army private before he could return to St. Petersburg.

➾ Dostoyevsky suffered from epilepsy, a condition little understood at the time, which began during his incarceration in the labor camp.

➾ Saddled with massive debts, he wrote the novella The Gambler in just one month by dictating it to a stenographer to avoid losing all rights to his past and future works.

➾ He subsequently married that stenographer, Anna Snitkina, who helped reform his life, managed his career, and nursed him through his depression and epilepsy.

Fyodor Dostoevsky MCQs

1. In what city was Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky born in 1821?

A. St. Petersburg
B. Moscow
C. Omsk
D. London

B. Moscow
He was born in Moscow, where his father worked as a doctor at a hospital for the póor.

2. What was the profession of Dostoyevsky’s father?

A. A writer and critic
B. A teacher
C. A doctor/former army surgeon
D. An engineer

C. A doctor/former army surgeon
His father was a staff doctor at the Mariinsky Hospital for the Póor in Moscow.

3. How old was Dostoyevsky when his mother died?

A. Twelve
B. Sixteen
C. Twenty-one
D. Thirty

B. Sixteen
His mother’s death in 1837 was a significant emotional blow during his formative teenage years.

4. Despite his love of books, what subject did Dostoyevsky’s father insist that he study?

A. Medicine
B. Law
C. Philosophy
D. Engineering

D. Engineering
His father sent him to a military engineering academy, a practical career path Dostoyevsky disliked.

5. Where did Dostoyevsky train in engineering from 1838 to 1843?

A. Moscow University
B. The St. Petersburg Literary Academy
C. The military engineering academy in St. Petersburg
D. The Siberian Military Outpost

C. The military engineering academy in St. Petersburg
He was sent to St. Petersburg for a military engineering education, which he found uninspiring.

6. How did Dostoyevsky’s father die, an incident that had a profound impact on Fyodor?

A. He died in a duel.
B. He died during a cholera epidemic.
C. He was murdered by one of his serfs.
D. He committed suícide due to debt.

C. He was murdered by one of his serfs.
The violent death of his father, reportedly by his own serfs, deeply influenced Dostoyevsky.

7. What rank did Dostoyevsky graduate with from the Academy of Military Engineers in 1843?

A. Colonel
B. Lieutenant/Sublieutenant
C. Captain
D. Private

B. Lieutenant/Sublieutenant
He graduated as a sublieutenant but his heart was not in a military career.

8. What reason is given for Dostoyevsky quickly abandoning his military career after graduating?

A. He was medically discharged.
B. He was forced out by debt collectors.
C. He preferred writing to serving in the army.
D. He immediately moved abroad.

C. He preferred writing to serving in the army.
His passion was always for literature, and he resigned his commission to become a full-time writer.

9. How many children eventually consisted of Dostoyevsky’s family (including him)?

A. Four
B. Five
C. Six
D. Seven

D. Seven
Fyodor was the second of seven children born to Dr. Mikhail and Maria Dostoyevsky.

10. What types of novels did young Dostoyevsky enthusiastically read?

A. Only Russian novels
B. Only German novels
C. English and Spanish novels
D. Russian, French, and German novels

D. Russian, French, and German novels
He was well-read in European literature, which influenced his complex philosophical novels.

11. What was the title of the translation of Balzac’s work that Dostoyevsky published in 1844?

A. Póor Folk
B. The Double
C. Crime and Punishment
D. Eugenie Grandet

D. Eugenie Grandet
His first published work was a translation of this French novel, which had little success.

12. What was Dostoyevsky’s first original published work (a short novel) in 1846, which was widely acclaimed?

A. The Double
B. Notes from Underground
C. Póor Folk
D. The Gambler

C. Póor Folk
This sentimental novel was a huge critical success and made him famous in literary circles.

13. Who was the influential critic who championed Dostoyevsky’s first original published work?

A. Mikhail Petrashevsky
B. Vissarion Belinsky
C. Leo Tolstoy
D. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

B. Vissarion Belinsky
Belinsky, the leading critic of the day, praised Póor Folk and hailed Dostoyevsky as a new talent.

14. What group of radical intellectuals did Dostoyevsky join in 1848, named after its leader?

A. The Nihilist Front
B. The Sons of Russia
C. The Petrashevsky Circle
D. The St. Petersburg Critics

C. The Petrashevsky Circle
He joined this group of radical thinkers who discussed utopian socialism and political reform.

15. What political view did the Petrashevsky Circle advocate for?

A. Isolationism
B. Absolute monarchy
C. Reforming the autocratic tsarist government
D. Complete separation from Western Europe

C. Reforming the autocratic tsarist government
The group discussed Western philosophies and social reforms, which was seen as a threat by the Tsar.

16. On what charge was Dostoyevsky arrested in 1849?

A. Gambling fraud
B. Sedition against the Church
C. Murder
D. Treason

D. Treason
He and other members of the Petrashevsky Circle were arrested for treason against the Tsar.

17. What was Dostoyevsky’s initial sentence for his crime?

A. Four years of military service
B. Life in prison
C. Death
D. Exile to Moscow

C. Death
He was sentenced to death by firing squad, a sentence that was commuted at the last possible second.

18. Where was Dostoyevsky placed in solitary confinement for eight months following his arrest?

A. Moscow’s Hospital for the Póor
B. The Siberian Labor Camp
C. The Petropavlovsky Fortress
D. His family home in St. Petersburg

C. The Petropavlovsky Fortress
He was held in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg during the investigation.

19. What happened to Dostoyevsky’s death sentence?

A. It was carried out immediately.
B. He escaped before the execution.
C. It was commuted to a term of hard labor in Siberia.
D. He convinced the Tsar to grant him amnesty.

C. It was commuted to a term of hard labor in Siberia.
The mock execution was a cruel ploy; his sentence was changed to four years of hard labor in Siberia.

20. What duration of hard labor in a Siberian prison was Dostoyevsky’s sentence reduced to?

A. One year
B. Two years
C. Four years
D. Eight years

C. Four years
His death sentence was commuted to four years of hard labor in a Siberian katorga.

21. Through his dealings with ordinary inmates in prison, Dostoyevsky developed an understanding of the criminal mentality and what else?

A. Engineering principles
B. French literature
C. Western politics
D. The Russian soul

D. The Russian soul
His time in Siberia gave him what he considered a profound insight into the common Russian people.

22. During his time in prison, Dostoyevsky rejected his earlier pro-Western ideas and instead embraced:

A. Nihilism
B. A specifically Russian brand of Christianity
C. Materialist atheism
D. Utilitarianism

B. A specifically Russian brand of Christianity
His prison experience led to a profound spiritual conversion to Russian Orthodox Christianity.

23. After his release from the prison camp, Dostoyevsky spent several more years in Siberia doing what?

A. Teaching literature
B. Serving as an army private
C. Working as a civilian doctor
D. Traveling abroad

B. Serving as an army private
His sentence included a period of forced military service in Siberia after his labor camp term ended.

24. In what year did Dostoyevsky return to St. Petersburg?

A. 1849
B. 1854
C. 1859
D. 1864

C. 1859
After his prison term and mandatory military service, he was finally allowed to return to St. Petersburg.

25. What affliction was Dostoyevsky troubled by throughout his later life?

A. Severe chronic asthma
B. Tuberculosis
C. Epilepsy
D. Paralysis

C. Epilepsy
He suffered from epilepsy, and his seizures are described in several of his major novels.

26. What was the name of Dostoyevsky’s first wife, whom he married during his military service?

A. Anna Snitkina
B. Apollinaria Suslova
C. Iris Murdoch
D. Marya Dmitrievna Isaeva

D. Marya Dmitrievna Isaeva
He married Marya, a widow, while still in Siberia. Their marriage was unhappy and turbulent.

27. Who was the student with whom Dostoyevsky had an affair during his first trip abroad in 1862?

A. Mariya Isaeva
B. Anna Snitkina
C. Apollinaria Suslova
D. Iris Murdoch

C. Apollinaria Suslova
His turbulent affair with Suslova was a source of great emotional distress and financial ruin from gambling.

28. What personal misfortune did Dostoyevsky experience in the mid-1860s?

A. The burning of his manuscripts.
B. The death of his wife and his brother, Mikhail.
C. The loss of his inheritance.
D. A second arrest and exile.

B. The death of his wife and his brother, Mikhail.
These deaths, along with his gambling debts, left him financially and emotionally devastated.

29. What compulsive habit often forced Dostoyevsky to write intensely?

A. Compulsive spending on clothing
B. Compulsive drinking
C. Compulsive gambling
D. Compulsive collecting of art

C. Compulsive gambling
His severe gambling addiction repeatedly plunged him into debt, forcing him to write for advances.

30. Who did Dostoyevsky marry in 1867, who had served as his stenographer?

A. Marya Dmitrievna Isaeva
B. Apollinaria Suslova
C. Anna Grigorievna Snitkin
D. Iris Murdoch

C. Anna Grigorievna Snitkin
Anna Snitkina, his second wife, brought stability to his life and managed his finances.

31. In the mid-1840s, which work introduced the concept of the “double”?

A. Póor Folk
B. Notes from Underground
C. The Double
D. The Idiot

C. “The Double”
This early novella explored the psychological breakdown of a man haunted by his doppelgänger.

32. The concept of the “double” suggests that a person may have what?

A. Physical illness
B. Financial ruin
C. A psychological breakdown
D. A good or evil “twin”

D. A good or evil “twin”
This concept explores the divided self and the psychological breakdown of the protagonist.

33. Which book, based on his years in prison, did Dostoyevsky publish in 1861?

A. Crime and Punishment
B. Notes from Underground
C. The Idiot
D. The House of the Dead

D. The House of the Dead
This novel was a fictionalized account of his brutal experiences in the Siberian prison camp.

34. Which complex work, considered the preface to his great novels, was published in 1864?

A. The Double
B. The Gambler
C. Notes from Underground
D. The Idio

C. Notes from Underground
This work introduced the “underground man” and the existentialist themes of his later masterpieces.

35. Which novel is widely regarded as Dostoyevsky’s first true masterpiece?

A. The Brothers Karamazov
B. The Idiot
C. Crime and Punishment
D. Demons

C. Crime and Punishment
Published in 1866, this novel about Raskolnikov’s crime is one of the most famous in world literature.

36. Why did Dostoyevsky write the novella The Gambler in just one month?

A. To fulfill a request from his first wife.
B. To chronicle his experiences in Siberia.
C. To pay his debts and meet a contract deadline.
D. To detail the life of his brother Mikhail.

C. To pay his debts and meet a contract deadline.
He wrote it under extreme pressure from a publisher, dictating it to Anna Snitkina.

37. Which of the following is NOT listed among Dostoyevsky’s foremost later novels?

A. The Idiot
B. The Possessed
C. Poor Folk
D. The Brothers Karamazov

C. Póor Folk
Póor Folk was his acclaimed first novel, not part of his later, great masterpieces.

38. Which of Dostoyevsky’s novels is regarded by many as the apex of his career?

A. Crime and Punishment
B. Notes from Underground
C. The Gambler
D. The Brothers Karamazov

D. The Brothers Karamazov
Published in 1880, this was his final and most ambitious novel, exploring deep philosophical questions.

39. With which contemporary is Dostoyevsky regarded as one of the two greatest nineteenth-century Russian novelists?

A. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
B. Leo Tolstoy
C. Franz Kafka
D. Mikhail Petrashevsky

B. Leo Tolstoy
Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy are considered the two giants of 19th-century Russian literature.

40. In his final years, what three things did Dostoyevsky finally gain?

A. Health, a divorce, and property
B. Political power, freedom, and notoriety
C. Critical acclaim, social prestige, and financial security
D. A government pension, a military rank, and critical rejection

C. Critical acclaim, social prestige, and financial security
After a life of struggle, his final years brought him the stability and recognition he had long lacked.

41. What ideas did Dostoevsky write about in his books?

A. Scientific and technical issues
B. Agricultural and engineering issues
C. Deep political, social, and religious issues
D. Economic theory

C. Deep political, social, and religious issues
His novels are famous for their profound engagement with psychology, philosophy, and spirituality.

42. Dostoyevsky’s insights into human psychology anticipated the theories of which influential figure?

A. Carl Rogers
B. Ivan Pavlov
C. Sigmund Freud
D. Jean-Paul Sartre

C. Sigmund Freud
His exploration of the “underground,” guilt, and irrational motives prefigured Freudian psychoanalysis.

43. Dostoyevsky’s rejection of leftist political thought is evident through characters like Raskolnikov, Luzhin, and whom?

A. Marmeladov
B. Razumikhin
C. Svidrigailov
D. Lebezyatnikov

D. Lebezyatnikov
Lebezyatnikov in Crime and Punishment is a caricature of the superficial, “progressive” thinkers Dostoyevsky mocked.

44. Which major 20th-century philosophical movement looked to Dostoyevsky for his insights?

A. Liberal-Socialism
B. Nihilism
C. Existentialism
D. Utilitarianism

C. Existentialism
Thinkers like Camus and Sartre saw Dostoyevsky as a forerunner of existentialist ideas about freedom and absurdity.

45. Dostoyevsky’s experiences traveling abroad fueled his rejection of what?

A. Russian literary journals
B. Western philosophies/Western society
C. Orthodox Christianity
D. Russian military traditions

B. Western philosophies/Western society
His trips to Europe solidified his belief that Western materialism and atheism were corrupting.

46. What did some scholars claim Dostoyevsky’s view of the Russian character prophesied?

A. The golden age of Tsarist reform.
B. The expansion of the Russian railway system.
C. The Russian Revolution and deprivations under Soviet rule.
D. The dissolution of military academies.

C. The Russian Revolution and deprivations under Soviet rule.
His insights into radicalism (Demons) and suffering were seen as prophetic of Russia’s future.

47. What did Dostoyevsky’s great later novels form the basis for?

A. His early radical political views.
B. The philosophy of nihilism.
C. His lifelong intense spirituality and beliefs.
D. The theories of engineering.

C. His lifelong intense spirituality and beliefs.
His major novels were the vehicles for his deeply-held spiritual and philosophical convictions.

48. Dostoyevsky’s novels were major influences on which fields in the twentieth century?

A. Architecture and mathematics.
B. Literature and philosophy.
C. Engineering and medicine.
D. Economics and law.

B. Literature and philosophy.
His work profoundly influenced 20th-century literature and philosophical movements like existentialism.

49. Which of these later novelists drew inspiration from Dostoyevsky?

A. Jane Austen
B. James Joyce
C. Albert Camus
D. Ernest Hemingway

C. Albert Camus
Albert Camus and other existentialists drew heavily on the themes found in Dostoyevsky’s work.

50. What is the epitaph inscribed on Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s tomb?

A. Truth is beauty, beauty truth.
B. The memory of a life well spent is eternal.
C. A man who cannot change his mind cannot change anything.
D. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone…

D. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone…
This Bible verse (John 12:24) reflects his deep Christian faith and themes of resurrection.

The Double MCQs

1. What is Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin’s official rank?

A. Collegiate Assessor
B. Titular Councillor
C. Actual State Councillor
D. Collegiate Registrar

B. Titular Councillor.
He is identified early in the narrative as Titular Councillor Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin.

2. Where does Golyadkin reside in St. Petersburg?

A. Nevsky Prospect
B. Liteiny Street
C. Shestilavochny Street
D. Fontanka Embankment

C. Shestilavochny Street.
His flat was on the fourth floor of a large, imposing building in Shestilavochny Street.

3. What is Golyadkin immediately relieved did not appear on his face overnight?

A. A wrinkle
B. A pimple
C. A stain
D. A scar

B. A pimple.
He checked the mirror to ensure that no pimple or other disaster had occurred overnight.

4. How much money does Golyadkin count in his green wallet?

A. Five hundred roubles
B. Seven hundred and fifty roubles
C. One thousand roubles
D. Two hundred roubles

B. Seven hundred and fifty roubles.
He counted the bank notes and happily determined the packet contained exactly seven hundred and fifty roubles.

5. What is Golyadkin’s servant’s name?

A. Emelyan
B. Petrushka
C. Alexeich
D. Gerasimych

B. Petrushka.
His servant is named Petrushka, whom Golyadkin frequently checks on and addresses.

6. What item of clothing did Petrushka wear that was “acquired at fifth or sixth hand?”

A. Boots
B. A lackey’s sword
C. A gold-laced livery
D. A silk cravat

C. A gold-laced livery.
Petrushka wore a gold-laced, second-hand man-servant’s livery, too large for him.

7. What color was the hackney-carriage Golyadkin hired?

A. Black
B. Blue
C. Green
D. Red

B. Blue.
A blue hackney-carriage, adorned with some heraldic device, was hired for Golyadkin’s outing.

8. Who is Andrey Philippovich?

A. A wealthy acquaintance
B. The doctor’s assistant
C. Head of Golyadkin’s section
D. A relative of Olsufi Ivanovich

C. Head of Golyadkin’s section.
Andrey Philippovich is the head of the section where Golyadkin works as an assistant.

9. Why does Golyadkin suddenly order his coachman to turn back toward Liteiny Street?

A. To return a gift
B. To consult his doctor
C. To avoid his enemies
D. To buy new gloves

B. To consult his doctor.
He felt an immediate need to say something very interesting to his doctor, Christian Ivanovich.

10. What is Christian Ivanovich Rutenspitz’s profession?

A. Magistrate
B. Physician and Surgeon
C. Apothecary
D. Section Head

B. Physician and Surgeon.
His brass plate identifies him as Christian Ivanovich Rutenspitz, Physician and Surgeon.

11. What “radical transformation” does the doctor prescribe?

A. New medication
B. A change of location
C. A change in life and character
D. Immediate resignation

C. A change in life and character.
The doctor emphasizes that Golyadkin needs a radical transformation of his whole life and character.

12. To what social event does Golyadkin compare society, stating he only wears a mask there?

A. A carnival
B. A masked ball
C. A church service
D. A political meeting

B. A masked ball.
Golyadkin states he wears a mask only at masked balls, not in daily public life.

13. What physical action does Golyadkin take immediately before bursting into tears at the doctor’s?

A. Slapping his forehead
B. Seizing the doctor’s hand
C. Striking his breast
D. Falling to his knees

B. Seizing the doctor’s hand.
He grasped Christian Ivanovich’s right hand and immediately began shaking and unexpectedly burst into tears.

14. What does Golyadkin purchase on the Nevsky Prospect after extensive shopping and haggling?

A. A dress-coat
B. A new wig
C. Gloves and scent
D. A silver service

C. Gloves and scent.
After visiting many shops, Golyadkin bought only a pair of gloves and a bottle of scent.

15. Where does Golyadkin rest and eat “to stay the pangs of hunger” before the dinner party?

A. A tavern
B. His carriage
C. A famous restaurant
D. His office

C. A famous restaurant.
He ordered his coachman to stop at a famous restaurant on the Nevsky Prospect for food and rest.

16. What kind of official is Olsufi Ivanovich Berendeyev?

A. Collegiate Assessor
B. Titular Councillor
C. State Councillor
D. Section Head

C. State Councillor.
Olsufi Ivanovich is identified as a venerable old State Councillor and Golyadkin’s former patron.

17. What occasioned Olsufi Ivanovich’s grand dinner and ball?

A. His birthday
B. His promotion
C. His daughter Clara’s birthday
D. A military victory

C. His daughter Clara’s birthday.
The grand dinner and ball were held to celebrate the festival of Clara Olsufyevna’s birth.

18. Who prevents Golyadkin from entering the house immediately upon arrival?

A. Andrey Philippovich
B. Vladimir Semyonovich
C. The butler, Gerasimych
D. Clara Olsufyevna

C. The butler, Gerasimych.
Olsufi Ivanovich’s old butler, Gerasimych, confirms he has strict orders not to admit Golyadkin.

19. Where does Golyadkin hide when he sneaks back into the house?

A. Under the stairs
B. Behind a cupboard and screen
C. In the wine cellar
D. In the coachman’s cabin

B. Behind a cupboard and screen.
He stands lurking among lumber in a passage from the back entrance, concealed by a screen and cupboard.

20. What motto does Golyadkin recall from a French minister while waiting in the cold?

A. Patience is a virtue
B. Everything comes in due course
C. Never give up hope
D. Live in the moment

B. Everything comes in due course.
He cites the French minister Villèle’s phrase that everything comes in due course, if you only wait long enough.

21. What did Golyadkin accidentally damage when he suddenly burst into the drawing-room?

A. A tray of desserts
B. An old lady’s dress
C. A silk curtain
D. A card table

B. An old lady’s dress.
He stumbled, trod on a respectable old lady’s dress, and slightly tore the fabric.

22. What phrase summarizes Golyadkin’s philosophy for dealing with a crisis?

A. Run away and hide
B. If things go wrong, stand firm
C. Blame only the enemy
D. Speak clearly and concisely

B. If things go wrong, stand firm.
His motto is, “If things go wrong, I stand firm; if all goes well, I hold my ground.”

23. What kind of weather is Golyadkin enduring after being ejected from the ball?

A. Dry, severe frost
B. Heavy fog and stillness
C. Damp, snowy, rainy, foggy
D. Clear, cold, starry

C. Damp, snowy, rainy, foggy.
The night is described as a terrible November night: damp, foggy, rainy, snowy, and freezing.

24. What personal item does Golyadkin lose on the Fontanka pavement during his flight?

A. His wallet
B. His hat
C. A galosh
D. His cravat

C. A galosh.
The galosh from his right foot remained in the mud, but Golyadkin did not notice its loss.

25. Where does Golyadkin first believe he sees his double?

A. Liteiny Street
B. Shestilavochny Street
C. Fontanka embankment
D. Nevsky Prospect

C. Fontanka embankment.
He sensed the double standing beside him on the Fontanka embankment, watching the water.

26. What does the unknown figure (the double) do upon reaching Golyadkin’s flat?

A. He shouted at the porter
B. He knocked and was let inside
C. He ran away swiftly
D. He collapsed on the steps

B. He knocked and was let inside.
The stranger stopped at Golyadkin’s door, knocked, and Petrushka immediately let him in.

27. Where is the double sitting when Golyadkin finds him inside his apartment?

A. At the table
B. On Golyadkin’s bed
C. In a chair
D. Behind the stove

B. On Golyadkin’s bed.
The unknown figure, still in his coat and hat, was sitting on Golyadkin’s own bed.

28. What does Golyadkin Senior initially suspect is the cause of the double’s sudden appearance?

A. Madness
B. A government trick
C. His enemies’ malice
D. Too much punch

C. His enemies’ malice.
Golyadkin believed the double was a final manifestation of bitter hellish spite on the part of his enemies.

29. What is Golyadkin Junior’s position in the office?

A. Head of Section
B. In the vacant post of a deceased colleague
C. Temporary consultant
D. Head of Subsection

B. In the vacant post of a deceased colleague.
The double was appointed to fill the vacant post left by the deceased Semyon Ivanovich.

30. Why does Anton Antonovich initially assume the two Golyadkins are related?

A. They share a hometown
B. They look like twins
C. They share a family likeness
D. They work in the same office

C. They share a family likeness.
Anton Antonovich first supposed the new employee was a close relative due to a family likeness.

31. How does Golyadkin Senior describe the shocking resemblance to Anton Antonovich?

A. Like two actors
B. As like as two peas
C. Like a photograph
D. A strange anomaly

B. As like as two peas.
Golyadkin explains that the likeness is so striking they are “as like as two peas.”

32. What specific object does Golyadkin Junior snatch and carry into His Excellency’s room?

A. Golyadkin Senior’s hat
B. An important official document
C. A gold watch
D. A quill pen

B. An important official document.
The double suddenly snatched the required document and rushed into His Excellency’s room.

33. What “indecent gesture” does the double perform on Golyadkin Senior at the office?

A. Tearing his clothes
B. Pinching his cheek
C. Sticking out his tongue
D. Spitting on the floor

B. Pinching his cheek.
The double repeated his indecent gesture of pinching him on the cheek in front of the clerks.

34. What gesture does the double make after shaking Golyadkin Senior’s hand?

A. He kissed his hand
B. He made an offensive gesture
C. He bowed deeply
D. He wiped his fingers on a handkerchief

D. He wiped his fingers on a handkerchief.
The double snatched away his hand, wiped his fingers on a handkerchief, making an offensive gesture.

35. What does the double call Golyadkin Senior in front of the clerks?

A. A scoundrel
B. Russian Faublas
C. The Bear
D. A doormat

B. Russian Faublas.
The double squeaked, “This is our Russian Faublas, gentlemen; allow me to present the young Chevalier de Faublas.”

36. After his humiliation, Golyadkin Senior internally resolves he will not be used as what?

A. A lackey
B. A scapegoat
C. A doormat
D. A stepping stone

C. A doormat.
He resolves that he will not allow himself to be used as a “doormat for people to wipe their dirty boots on.”

37. What did Golyadkin and his double drink together during their evening of artificial friendship?

A. Tea
B. Punch
C. Vodka
D. Coffee

B. Punch.
Petrushka brought rum, and host and guest each drank three or four glasses of punch.

38. What does the double write for Golyadkin Senior to demonstrate his amiable feelings?

A. A long letter
B. Four lines of verse
C. A short story
D. An official report

B. Four lines of verse.
The double wrote four lines of verse, which were sentimental and written with beautiful handwriting.

39. What does the double say about Golyadkin Senior’s writing style in the verse?

A. It shows his honesty
B. It shows his great love
C. It has a beautiful style
D. It needs improvement

C. It has a beautiful style.
The four lines of verse were written with some feeling and in a beautiful style and handwriting.

40. What action does Petrushka take that shows he is likely compromised by Golyadkin Junior?

A. He demands a raise
B. He ignores his master
C. He gets drunk and insults Golyadkin Senior
D. He steals Golyadkin Senior’s coat

C. He gets drunk and insults Golyadkin Senior.
Petrushka, found blind drunk, implies that Golyadkin Senior has “come double.”

41. What item does Vakhrameyev’s letter claim Golyadkin Senior stole and sold to Karolina Ivanovna?

A. His old watch
B. A pound of lump sugar
C. His furniture
D. His new shoes

B. A pound of lump sugar.
Vakhrameyev’s letter claims Petrushka sold Karolina Ivanovna a pound of lump sugar, implicating Golyadkin.

42. What item does the deceiving letter from Clara Olsufyevna instruct Golyadkin to bring for the elopement?

A. A ladder
B. A carriage
C. A pistol
D. Warm blankets

B. A carriage.
She instructs him to “Be waiting for me in your carriage today at exactly nine o’clock.”

43. Where does Golyadkin go to write his defiant letter to his double?

A. His office
B. A private room at the tavern
C. His flat, immediately upon returning
D. The street corner

C. His flat, immediately upon returning.
He set himself down on the sofa in his flat and immediately began scribbling a furious letter.

44. What does Golyadkin suggest as the inevitable consequence of the double’s impossible behavior?

A. Utter disgrace and defeat
B. Exposure to the police
C. Transfer to another city
D. A duel with pistols

A. Utter disgrace and defeat.
Golyadkin warns his double that his conduct will lead to nothing but his utter disgrace and defeat.

45. What does Golyadkin Senior accidentally grab instead of his handkerchief at the tavern?

A. His pipe
B. His medicine bottle
C. His wallet
D. His gloves

B. His medicine bottle.
Instead of his handkerchief, he pulls out the little bottle of dark medicine prescribed by Christian Ivanovich.

46. What official instruction does the porter Mikheyev bring Golyadkin?

A. That he has been promoted
B. To hand over his business to Ivan Semyonovich
C. To report to the doctor
D. That he is being transferred

B. To hand over his business to Ivan Semyonovich.
The official envelope contained instructions to hand over all his business to Ivan Semyonovich.

47. What does Petrushka claim his new master, Katerina Ivanovna, enticed him to do?

A. Steal Golyadkin’s money
B. Take Eustaphy’s place
C. Move to the country
D. Run away from the city

B. Take Eustaphy’s place.
Petrushka was evidently leaving to take Eustaphy’s place at Katerina Ivanovna’s lodging.

48. What does Golyadkin Senior decide to do to prepare for the elopement?

A. Buy a fox-fur coat
B. Rent a better apartment
C. Find a marriage license
D. Get more money

A. Buy a fox-fur coat.
He decides to buy a “good fox-fur coat” from the shopkeeper downstairs for Clara Olsufyevna.

49. Who appears at Olsufi Ivanovich’s door at the moment of Golyadkin’s final humiliation?

A. Olsufi Ivanovich
B. Andrey Philippovich
C. Christian Ivanovich Rutenspitz
D. Vladimir Semyonovich

C. Christian Ivanovich Rutenspitz.
The doors were flung open, and Christian Ivanovich Rutenspitz, his physician, stood on the threshold.

50. What is the terrible final judgment delivered to Golyadkin by the physician in the carriage?

A. He must move to the provinces
B. He is morally ruined
C. He will receive quarters with service
D. He will be taken to Siberia

C. He will receive quarters with service.
Christian Ivanovich states: “You will haf official quarters, with firewood und Licht und service.”

Brief Overview

The Double: A Petersburg Poem is the second novel written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published on 30 January 1846.

The novel explores the life of Yakov Golyadkin, a nervous and impoverished clerk living in a small flat in St. Petersburg. He is often worried about his finances and believes he has enemies. Golyadkin decides to hire a carriage to attend a party hosted by his acquaintance, Olsufi Ivanovich.

He is very careful to avoid encountering his colleagues, especially his boss, Andrey Philippovich. The party refuses Golyadkin entry, but he forces his way in through the back passage. He makes a scene in the ballroom, attempting to dance, and is forcibly removed.

Running through the stormy city, Golyadkin encounters a mysterious man who looks exactly like him. This double is immediately hired at Golyadkin’s office. Golyadkin senior welcomes the humble double home, and they briefly become friends, drinking punch together.

Soon, the double becomes arrogant, mocks Golyadkin senior, and works to undermine him at the office. Golyadkin senior realizes he is being betrayed by the double and many of his colleagues. He rushes to confront his superior, His Excellency, but the double is publicly favored instead.

Golyadkin is finally seized and placed in a closed carriage. The driver is revealed to be the doctor, Christian Ivanovich, who sternly informs Golyadkin that he will receive quarters he does not deserve.