Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy Study question

God Sees the Truth But Waits

How Much Land Does a Man Need?

Facts about Leo Tolstoy

➾ Contemporaries referred to Tolstoy as “Lyovochka the bear” because of his awkwardness and “homely peasant face”.

➾ He wore a medallion with a portrait of Jean-Jacques Rousseau instead of a cross.

➾ His mother died when he was 18 months old, an event that perpetually affected his feelings about women and motherhood.

➾ Tolstoy’s first diary entry confided that he may have contracted a venereal disease.

➾ He was formally excommunicated by the Russian Church (Greek Orthodox) in March 1901.

➾ He left his wife at age 82 in 1910, seeking complete spiritual freedom, and died shortly after at a railroad station.

➾ During Russian famines in the early 1890s, he and his family set up 246 soup kitchens in the countryside.

➾ After his conversion, he learned to cobble his own boots, dressed only in peasant homespun, and renounced liquor and tobacco.

➾ He abandoned his copyright claims to his works published after 1881, viewing property ownership as a source of evil.

➾ He used the royalties from his novel Resurrection (1899) to fund the transportation of the persecuted Dukhobor religious sect to Canada.

➾ Tolstoy once told Anton Chekhov that Chekhov’s plays were “even worse than Shakespeare’s”.

Leo Tolstoy MCQs

1. When was Leo Nikolaivich Tolstoy born?

A. September 23, 1862
B. August 28, 1828
C. November 21, 1910
D. September 20, 1860

B. August 28, 1828

2. Where was Leo Tolstoy born, an estate where he spent the majority of his adult life?

A. St. Petersburg
B. Kazan
C. Astapovo
D. Yasnaya Polyana

D. Yasnaya Polyana
He was born at Yasnaya Polyana, the family estate located south of Moscow, and lived there for most of his life.

3. What were Tolstoy’s parents’ names and titles?

A. Princess Marie Volkonsky and Count Nicolas Tolstoy
B. Countess Sofya Bers and Nikolay Ilich
C. Tatiana Yergolsky and Count Nicolas
D. Princess Volkonskaya and Mikhail Sukhotin

A. Princess Marie Volkonsky and Count Nicolas Tolstoy
His parents belonged to the high Russian nobility.

4. How old was Tolstoy when his mother died, an event that profoundly affected his feelings about women?

A. Nine years old
B. Eighteen years old
C. Eighteen months old
D. Thirty-four years old

C. Eighteen months old
His mother died when he was very young, leaving a lasting impact on his psyche and his portrayal of female characters.

5. Which relative did Tolstoy credit with having “the greatest influence on [his] life” by teaching him “the moral joy of love”?

A. Princess Marie Volkonsky
B. His brother Nicolas
C. Tatiana Yergolsky
D. His father, Count Nicolas

C. Tatiana Yergolsky
His distant cousin Tatiana Toinette Yergolsky was a key figure in his upbringing after his parents’ deaths.

6. Which university did Tolstoy attend, though he was characterized as an irregular student?

A. University of St. Petersburg
B. University of Berlin
C. University of Kazan
D. University of Moscow

C. University of Kazan
He studied at Kazan University but did not complete his degree, finding formal education restrictive.

7. What subject did Tolstoy study at the University of Kazan, transferring to it after struggling with Oríental languages?

A. History
B. Jurisprudence (Law)
C. Ethics
D. Literature

B. Jurisprudence (Law)
After finding Oriéntal languages difficult, he switched to the less demanding study of law.

8. Tolstoy began keeping a diary at age seventeen, continuing it through old age, making him one of the most documented writers. What did his early diaries often record?

A. Detailed drafts of War and Peace
B. Predictions about Russian politics
C. Rules for behavior and failures to follow them
D. Correspondence with Turgenev

C. Rules for behavior and failures to follow them
His early diaries are filled with self-analysis, attempts at self-improvement, and detailed accounts of his failures to live up to his own ideals.

9. In what year did Tolstoy join his brother Nicolas in the Caucasus Mountains and enter the Russian military?

A. 1844
B. 1862
C. 1851
D. 1855

C. 1851
Seeking adventure and escape from debts, he joined the army as a Junker in 1851.

10. What was the title of Tolstoy’s first novel, written in the winter of 1851-1852?

A. The Cossacks
B. Boyhood
C. Childhood (Detstvo)
D. The Death of Ivan Ilyitch

C. Childhood (Detstvo)
This semi-autobiographical work was his first major literary success.

11. Tolstoy’s first published work, Childhood, appeared in which leading St. Petersburg review in September 1852?

A. The Kingdom of God Is Within You
B. The Contemporary (Sovremennik)
C. Yasnaya Polyana
D. The Living Corpse

B. The Contemporary (Sovremennik)
Edited by Nikolay Nekrasov, this journal published many important Russian writers of the era.

12. Tolstoy’s journey to the Caucasus, over land and sea, served as the backbone for which of his later works?

A. Anna Karenina
B. The Cossacks
C. War and Peace
D. Youth

B. The Cossacks
Published in 1863, this novel drew heavily on his experiences and observations during his military service in the Caucasus.

13. During the Crimean War experience in Sebastopol, Tolstoy had one of his first religious awakenings, believing he needed to create what?

A. A new political party in Russia
B. A society for the liberation of serfs
C. A new religion corresponding to mánkind’s development
D. A plan for collective land ownership

C. A new religion corresponding to mánkind’s development
His experiences with war and death led him to seek a rational, ethical form of Christianity stripped of dogma.

14. What literary figure, known for Fathers & Sons, often disagreed with Tolstoy in St. Petersburg after the Crimean War?

A. Anton Chekhov
B. Fyodor Dostoyevsky
C. Nikolay Nekrasov
D. Ivan Turgenev

D. Ivan Turgenev
Tolstoy had a famously difficult relationship with Turgenev, marked by both admiration and intense arguments.

15. What event in September 1860 caused Tolstoy to turn his focus towards religious feelings and good works, leading him to tour Europe to study educational systems?

A. The Crimean War starting
B. His brother Nicolas dying of consumption
C. The serfs being liberated
D. His marriage to Sophia Behrs

B. His brother Nicolas dying of consumption
The death of his beloved brother Nicolas profoundly affected him and intensified his search for meaning and purpose beyond worldly success.

16. Why was Tolstoy forced out of his position as a mediator after the serfs were liberated in 1861?

A. He frequently sided with the wealthy landowners.
B. He frequently sided with the serfs.
C. He returned to military service.
D. He became focused on writing War and Peace.

B. He frequently sided with the serfs.
His efforts to ensure fair land distribution for the newly freed serfs angered the local nobility, leading to his removal.

17. At what age did Tolstoy marry Sophia Behrs, the daughter of a wealthy Moscow physician?

A. 18 years old
B. 34 years old
C. 48 years old
D. 9 years old

B. 34 years old
He married the 18-year-old Sophia (Sonya) Andreyevna Behrs in 1862.

18. What was the initial focus of the novel that eventually expanded into War and Peace?

A. The life of Peter the Great
B. The experiences of common soldiers in 1812
C. The history of the Decembrists (1825)
D. The life of a society woman named Anna

C. The history of the Decembrists (1825)
He initially planned a novel about the Decembrist uprising but traced its origins back to the Napoleonic Wars of 1805-1812.

19. For what genre of fiction is Leo Tolstoy best known, being considered a master of it?

A. Science Fiction
B. Detective Fiction
C. Realistic Fiction
D. Romantic Poetry

C. Realistic Fiction
He is arguably the most famous proponent of literary realism, known for his detailed psychological portraits and social observation.

20. War and Peace (1865–69) and Anna Karenina (1875–77) are commonly regarded as among the finest examples of what literary form?

A. Novellas
B. Epic Poems
C. Sermons
D. Novels

D. Novels
These two monumental works are considered pinnacles of the realist novel.

21. Which work, among Tolstoy’s shorter writings, is usually classed among the best examples of the novella?

A. Childhood
B. The Cossacks
C. The Death of Ivan Ilyich
D. Hadji-Murad

C. The Death of Ivan Ilyich
This stark and powerful examination of death and the meaning of life is a masterpiece of the novella form.

22. Which 19th-century British critic assessed Tolstoy’s novels by stating that they were “not a work of art but a piece of life”?

A. Virginia Woolf
B. James Joyce
C. Matthew Arnold
D. Isaak Babel

C. Matthew Arnold
Arnold used this phrase, often quoted, to describe the overwhelming realism and lifelike quality of Anna Karenina.

23. What specific title did the English writer Virginia Woolf apply to Tolstoy?

A. The greatest political philosopher
B. The incarnation of the world’s conscience
C. The greatest of all novelists
D. The archaist

C. The greatest of all novelists
Woolf, a key modernist, acknowledged Tolstoy’s supreme mastery of the novel form.

24. Due to his powerful observational capabilities and struggles, those who knew Tolstoy or read his works often described him as what?

A. Godlike in his powers and titanic in his struggles
B. Merely an excellent imitator of existing art
C. A master of verbose and flowery options
D. An irrelevant anarchist

A. Godlike in his powers and titanic in his struggles
His immense talent and profound moral and spiritual struggles led contemporaries like Maxim Gorky to use such descriptions.

25. Tolstoy’s great inner crisis, which he later experienced as his “conversion,” began towards the end of 1866 while he was writing which novel?

A. War and Peace
B. Resurrection
C. Anna Karenina
D. The Kreutzer Sonata

C. Anna Karenina
His existential crisis and search for meaning intensified during the writing of Anna Karenina, particularly evident in the character Levin.

26. What key religious doctrine, derived from the Gospels and forming the foundation of Tolstoyism, did he conclude contained Christ’s entire message?

A. That ye must follow the Orthodox Church
B. That ye resist not evil (Non-resistance)
C. That ye must pay all taxes promptly
D. That ye embrace modern civilization

B. That ye resist not evil (Non-resistance)
This principle, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, became central to his philosophy of pacifism and anarchism.

27. After his conversion, Tolstoy renounced property rights, believing that ownership by one person of “things that belong to all” was a chief source of what?

A. Complexity
B. Error
C. Wealth
D. Evil

D. Evil
He came to see private property, especially land ownership, as inherently unjust and a root cause of suffering.

28. In accordance with his new beliefs, what lifestyle changes did Tolstoy adopt personally?

A. Eating meat and drinking alcohol
B. Renouncing copyrights (since 1881) and dressing in homespun
C. Focusing on high society and gambling
D. Joining the Greek Orthodox Church clergy

B. Renouncing copyrights (since 1881) and dressing in homespun
He attempted to simplify his life, adopting peasant dress, doing manual labor, becoming vegetarian, and giving up copyrights on later works.

29. What type of works did Tolstoy primarily write after his conversion, as he renounced creative art for its “corrupt refinements”?

A. Plays about high society
B. Polemic tracts and didactic articles
C. Epic historical narratives
D. Sentimental romances

B. Polemic tracts and didactic articles
He focused on essays, pamphlets, and simple parables aimed at conveying his moral and religious ideas directly.

30. Which work describes Tolstoy’s fall into a profound state of existential despair after completing Anna Karenina?

A. The Cossacks
B. My Confession (Ispoved, 1884)
C. What Is Art?
D. The Death of Ivan Ilyitch

B. My Confession (Ispoved, 1884)
This autobiographical work details his spiritual crisis and search for the meaning of life.

31. In 1901, the Russian Church took what major action against Tolstoy, partly to mediate his strong public influence?

A. Granted him an honorary title
B. Excommunicated him
C. Appointed him a deacon
D. Offered him a professorship

B. Excommunicated him
The Holy Synod formally excommunicated Tolstoy for his radical theological views and criticisms of the Church.

32. Tolstoy’s doctrine of nonresistance to evil had an important influence on which famous Indian independence leader?

A. Jawaharlal Nehru
B. Mahatma Gandhi
C. Subhas Chandra Bose
D. Muhammad Ali Jinnah

B. Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi corresponded with Tolstoy and was deeply influenced by his ideas on nonviolent resistance, which Gandhi termed Satyagraha.

33. As a result of his belief that governments rely on violence, Tolstoy’s philosophy led him to what political stance?

A. Monarchism
B. Anarchism
C. Totalitarianism
D. Liberalism

B. Anarchism
His rejection of state power and violence led him to advocate Christian anarchism, believing true Christians should not participate in government.

34. Tolstoy rejected all traditional religious tenets, including miracles, the Holy Trinity, and the immortality of the soul, viewing them as what?

A. Essential truths
B. Obfuscations of the true Christian message
C. Necessary social structures
D. Poetic metaphors

B. Obfuscations of the true Christian message
He sought a rational Christianity based solely on Christ’s ethical teachings, rejecting supernatural elements as corruptions.

35. Tolstoy stressed five tenets for his Christianity after 1880, including “do not lust,” “do not take oaths,” and which of the following?

A. Pay high taxes
B. Be not angry
C. Judge others severely
D. Resist evil violently

B. Be not angry
His five key commandments derived from the Sermon on the Mount were: Be not angry, Do not lust, Do not take oaths, Resist not evil, and Love your enemies.

36. In his afterword to The Kreutzer Sonata, the commandment against lust led Tolstoy to propose what as an ideal?

A. Early marriage
B. Total abstinence
C. Frequent divorce
D. Having many children

B. Total abstinence
He argued that the Christian ideal was complete chastity, even within marriage, though he acknowledged this was difficult.

37. Which later work, written 1863 and published 1886, is famous for using the device of “defamiliarization,” with the protagonist/narrator being an old horse?

A. The Cossacks
B. Boyhood
C. Kholstomer (“The Story of a Horse”)
D. The Death of Ivan Ilyich

C. Kholstomer (“The Story of a Horse”)
This story uses the perspective of a horse to critique human society, particularly concepts like private property.

38. Tolstoy’s two great novels, War and Peace and Anna Karenina, share a common vision rooted in an appreciation of what?

A. Military genius
B. Political systems
C. Everyday life and prosaic virtues
D. Intellectual philosophy

C. Everyday life and prosaic virtues
Both novels celebrate the value of family, ordinary work, and simple human connections over grand historical events or intellectual theories.

39. In War and Peace, contrary to accepted views, how does Tolstoy portray Napoleon?

A. As a great military genius
B. As an ineffective, egomaniacal buffoon
C. As a patient old man
D. As the ultimate hero of history

B. As an ineffective, egomaniacal buffoon
Tolstoy deliberately undermines the ‘Great Man’ theory of history, showing Napoleon as vain and less influential than commonly believed.

40. According to the philosophical essays in War and Peace, history is ultimately shaped by what?

A. The plans of great men like generals or emperors
B. The sum total of an infinite number of small decisions by ordinary people
C. Dramatic moments leading to major decisions
D. Predictable laws and patterns

B. The sum total of an infinite number of small decisions by ordinary people
Tolstoy argues against deterministic views, emphasizing the cumulative effect of countless individual choices and actions.

41. The first sentence of Anna Karenina focuses on what theme?

A. The bravery of soldiers in battle
B. The differences in happy and unhappy families
C. The role of systems in modern life
D. The corruption of the Russian high society

B. The differences in happy and unhappy families
The famous opening line is: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

42. Which character in Anna Karenina stands as the novel’s moral compass, characterized by her kindness and care for everyday life?

A. Anna
B. Kitty
C. Dolly
D. Vronsky

C. Dolly
Darya Dolly Oblonskaya, despite her husband’s infidelity and her own struggles, embodies familial love and practical virtue.

43. Tolstoy’s third long novel, Resurrection (1899), follows which hero who seeks spiritual awakening after seducing the defendant, Katyusha Maslova?

A. Prince Andrey Bolkonsky
B. Konstantin Levin
C. Dmitry Olenin
D. Dmitry Nekhlyudov

D. Dmitry Nekhlyudov
Nekhlyudov, serving on a jury, recognizes the próstitute defendant as a woman he wronged years earlier, prompting his moral journey.

44. What seminal treatise on aesthetics, published in 1898, argued that true art requires a specific feeling communicated by “infection,” and rejected many masterpieces, including his own great novels?

A. My Confession
B. What I Believe
C. The Kingdom of God Is Within You
D. What Is Art?

D. What Is Art?
In this controversial essay, Tolstoy outlined his theory that art must transmit sincere religious or universal human feeling to be considered true art.

45. Which short moral tale, written 1885, was praised extravagantly by James Joyce as “the greatest story that the literature of the world knows”?

A. Father Sergius
B. Three Deaths
C. How Much Land Does a Man Need
D. Where Love Is, God Is

C. How Much Land Does a Man Need
This parable about greed and its consequences received high praise from the modernist author James Joyce.

46. Which brilliant, realistic narrative about the Caucasus, reminiscent of his earliest fiction, was written in 1904 but published posthumously after Tolstoy’s death?

A. The Living Corpse
B. The Power of Darkness
C. Hadji-Murad
D. The Cossacks

C. Hadji-Murad
This late novella, admired by critics like Harold Bloom, demonstrated Tolstoy’s enduring artistic power even after his renunciation of art.

47. Throughout his later years, what was the source of “torment” for Tolstoy, due to the contradiction between his ideals and his affluence?

A. Financial ruin from gambling
B. The antagonism with Turgenev
C. The disapproval and hysteria of his wife and family
D. Constant censorship by the state

C. The disapproval and hysteria of his wife and family
His wife Sonya, in particular, fiercely opposed his attempts to renounce property and copyrights, leading to constant domestic strife.

48. Desiring freedom from social responsibilities and seeking spiritual focus, when did Tolstoy leave his wife and Yasnaya Polyana to live in a hut?

A. September 23, 1862
B. March 1901
C. November 10, 1910
D. August 1855

C. November 10, 1910
At the age of 82, he secretly left his home in the middle of the night, accompanied only by his daughter Aleksandra and his doctor. (Note: The date is Oct 28 Old Style / Nov 10 New Style).

49. On what date and at what location did Leo Tolstoy die during his final journey?

A. November 21, 1910, in a village near Shamardin Convent
B. September 20, 1860, in France
C. August 28, 1910, in Moscow
D. November 7, 1910, at Yasnaya Polyana

A. November 21, 1910, in a village near Shamardin Convent
He fell ill with pneumonia on the train and died at the stationmaster’s house in Astapovo. (Note: Date is Nov 7 Old Style / Nov 20 New Style, but sources vary slightly; Nov 21 matches some accounts).

50. Who was responsible for bringing Tolstoy’s body back to his ancestral estate, Yasnaya Polyana, after his death?

A. His wife, Sonya
B. Peasants
C. The Russian military
D. His daughter Aleksandra

B. Peasants
Thousands lined the route, and local peasants carried his simple coffin back to Yasnaya Polyana for burial, fulfilling his wish to be buried among the common people.

War and Peace MCQs

1. What language do high society characters often use when conversing intimately or insincerely?

A. Italian
B. German
C. French
D. English

C. French.
Speaking French often indicates false, pseudo-literary, immoral, or insincere communication among high society.

2. Who hosts the soirée where the novel’s action begins?

A. Countess Rostova
B. Anna Pavlovna Scherer
C. Princess Bolkonskaya
D. Hélène Kuragina

B. Anna Pavlovna Scherer.
Anna Pavlovna Scherer hosts the political conversation, hoping to serve up interesting guests to her visitors.

3. What is Prince Bolkonsky’s nickname in society due to his eccentric habits?

A. The Iron Duke
B. The Terrible Bear
C. The King of Prussia
D. The Wise General

C. The King of Prussia.
Prince Bolkonsky was known as “the King of Prussia” after his retirement from the military under the late Emperor.

4. What physical feature was considered the Little Princess Bolkonskaya’s peculiar beauty?

A. Her thick blonde hair
B. Her luminous grey eyes
C. The shortness of her upper lip
D. Her slender, fragile hands

C. The shortness of her upper lip.
Her upper lip was too short for her teeth, a defect that seemed to be her own special and peculiar form of beauty.

5. What did the Vicomte call Napoleon’s 18th Brumaire?

A. A political masterstroke
B. A necessary evil
C. A despicable imposture
D. The birth of democracy

C. A despicable imposture.
The Vicomte called the 18th Brumaire an “imposture” (un escamotage), meaning it was a swindle unworthy of a great man.

6. What specific document did Prince Vasili fear Count Bezukhov had written?

A. A letter to the clergy
B. A will leaving everything to Pierre
C. A decree freeing his serfs
D. Memoirs of his life

B. A will leaving everything to Pierre.
Prince Vasili feared the Count had made a will leaving all his property to Pierre, the illegitimate son.

7. What kind of animal is Sonya Rostova compared to in her movements and manner?

A. A beautiful swan
B. A playful puppy
C. A half-grown kitten
D. A nervous bird

C. A half-grown kitten.
By the grace and flexibility of her small limbs, she reminded one of a pretty, half-grown kitten.

8. Why does Anna Mikhailovna insist on seeing the dying Count Bezukhov?

A. To secure a loan
B. To deliver a letter
C. For the salvation of his soul
D. To introduce Prince Vasili

C. For the salvation of his soul.
Anna Mikhailovna declared they could not delay because it involved the salvation of the Count’s soul (salut de son âme).

9. What card game did Count Ilya Andreich Rostov enjoy playing?

A. Whist
B. Poker
C. Boston
D. Faro

C. Boston.
The Count’s favourite occupation when not listening to others talk was playing “boston,” a card game he was very fond of.

10. What nickname did Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova give Natasha Rostova?

A. The Little Princess
B. The Firebird
C. The Cossack
D. The Fairy

C. The Cossack.
Marya Dmitrievna always called Natasha a Cossack, although she also referred to her as a scamp.

11. What subject did Prince Bolkonsky teach Princess Marya daily?

A. History
B. Philosophy
C. Geometry
D. Botany

C. Geometry.
To develop her mind, the Prince gave Princess Marya lessons in algebra and geometry until she was twenty.

12. Who did Nikolai Rostov accuse of stealing money from Denisov?

A. Colonel Bogdanich
B. Prince Vasili
C. Telyanin
D. Zherkov

C. Telyanin.
Rostov accuses Telyanin after Telyanin’s pale, terrified face quivers, implying Telyanin was the thief.

13. What physical trait of Kutuzov’s was noted, stemming from an old wound?

A. A limp
B. A scar near his temple
C. A missing finger
D. Deafness in one ear

B. A scar near his temple.
Prince Andrei noticed the scar near Kutuzov’s temple where an Ismail bullet had pierced his skull.

14. Which general was successfully deceived by the French marshals at the Tabor Bridge?

A. Kutuzov
B. Bagration
C. Auersperg
D. Murat

C. Auersperg.
Bilibin explained that Auersperg was deceived by the French marshals and failed to blow up the mined bridge.

15. What did Captain Tushin name his largest, old-pattern cannon?

A. The Dragon
B. Matveevna
C. Big Bertha
D. The General

B. Matveevna.
Tushin mentally named the large, old-pattern gun of his battery “Matveevna” (daughter of Matvei).

16. What does Prince Andrei reprimand Zherkov for after news of the Austrian defeat?

A. For sleeping during the battle
B. For laughing about the men massacred
C. For questioning Kutuzov’s orders
D. For wearing a fine uniform

B. For laughing about the men massacred.
Prince Andrei was angry because Zherkov found amusement in the “Quarante mille hommes massacrés” (forty thousand men massacred).

17. What literary work was Pierre reading just before meeting Iosif Alexeevich, the Mason?

A. Caesar’s Commentaries
B. The Gospel
C. Amélie de Mansfield
D. Poor Liza

C. Amélie de Mansfield.
Pierre was handed a half-cut novel in letters by Madame de Souza about the struggles of Amélie de Mansfield.

18. What were the three physical objects presented to Pierre in the dark chamber during his initiation?

A. Trowel, compasses, apron
B. Sword, ring, lamp
C. Gospel, skull, coffin
D. Scroll, wine, candle

C. Gospel, skull, coffin.
The room contained a lamp, an open Gospel, and a human skull with a coffin containing bones.

19. What does the Masonic virtue “love of death” imply?

A. A desire to fight constantly
B. Regarding death as a freeing friend
C. An embrace of melancholy
D. Seeking glorious martyrdom

B. Regarding death as a freeing friend.
It means regarding death as a friend that frees the soul, worn out by virtue, from distressful life.

20. What is one of the three aims of the Masonic Order, besides preserving the mystery?

A. Gaining political authority
B. Purifying and reforming oneself
C. Accumulating material wealth
D. Fighting Napoleon’s tyranny

B. Purifying and reforming oneself.
The secondary aim is preparing members to reform their hearts, purify and enlighten their minds.

21. Which word did Pierre select when asked to name his chief passion?

A. Gambling
B. Gluttony
C. Women
D. Anger

C. Women.
Pierre chose “Women” from his list of vices when asked for his chief passion in a low, scarcely audible voice.

22. What analogy did Pierre use to describe his feeling that all on earth is evil and false?

A. Looking on our life here as the end of everything
B. Trying to navigate a dark forest without a map
C. A broken clock that keeps uselessly spinning
D. A vessel unable to hold pure liquid

A. Looking on our life here as the end of everything.
Pierre explained that truth cannot be seen if one looks on our life here as the end of everything.

23. Who was the architect allowed to join Prince Bolkonsky’s dinner table to illustrate equality?

A. Tikhon
B. Alpatych
C. Mikhail Ivanovich
D. Dessalles

C. Mikhail Ivanovich.
The Prince admitted Mikhail Ivanovich to his table to illustrate his theory that all men are equals.

24. What comparison did Natasha use to criticize Boris’s character to her mother?

A. A timid bird
B. The dining-room clock
C. A beautiful rake
D. A narrow river

B. The dining-room clock.
Natasha told her mother Boris is “narrow, like the dining-room clock—grey, light grey”.

25. What was Prince Andrei’s plan for his immediate future after falling in love with Natasha?

A. Marry immediately
B. Join the army again
C. Retire from service and travel
D. Remain silent and observe

C. Retire from service and travel.
He decided to retire from service, appoint a tutor for his son, and go abroad to see Italy, England, and Switzerland.

26. What was the old Prince Bolkonsky’s reaction when he realized Prince Andrei intended to marry Natasha?

A. He gave his blessing immediately
B. He told Andrei to wait until the old prince died
C. He offered to double Natasha’s dowry
D. He wrote a warm letter to the Rostovs

B. He told Andrei to wait until the old prince died.
The old prince told Princess Marya to write to her brother to wait until he was dead, as he would soon set Andrei free.

27. What was the central problem Count Rostov and his wife faced?

A. Their eldest daughter was unmarried
B. They were financially ruined
C. They had displeased the Tsar
D. Their house was too small

B. They were financially ruined.
The Rostovs’ affairs were in disorder; they were contemplating selling their ancestral house near Moscow.

28. Who did Count Rostov want Nikolai to marry to resolve their financial situation?

A. Princess Marya
B. Hélène Kuragina
C. Julie Karagina
D. Sonya Rostova

C. Julie Karagina.
The countess felt their only hope of disentangling affairs was Nikolai marrying Julie Karagina, a rich heiress.

29. During the hunt, what was the name of Captain Denisov’s regiment?

A. The Dragoons
B. The Hussars
C. The Chasseurs
D. The Grenadiers

B. The Hussars.
Nikolai Rostov was a young hussar, and Denisov was his squadron commander, a hussar.

30. What item did Natasha use to try to foresee her fate during the Christmas fortune-telling?

A. Cards
B. Tea leaves
C. Two looking-glasses
D. A wedding ring

C. Two looking-glasses.
Natasha sat between two looking-glasses, trying to see her future—a coffin or Prince Andrei—in the reflection.

31. Who did Princess Marya see Anatole Kuragin embracing when she entered the conservatory?

A. Sonya Rostova
B. Her father’s valet
C. Mademoiselle Bourienne
D. Julie Karagina

C. Mademoiselle Bourienne.
Marya saw Anatole embracing the French companion, Mademoiselle Bourienne, which immediately decided her fate.

32. What attire was Dolokhov wearing in the stalls at the opera, attracting everyone’s attention?

A. A German uniform
B. A tuxedo
C. A Persian dress
D. A white Guards coat

C. A Persian dress.
Dolokhov was standing in the very centre of the stalls in a Persian dress with his hair brushed up.

33. Who introduced Anatole Kuragin to Natasha at the opera?

A. Pierre Bezukhov
B. Hélène Bezukhova
C. Count Rostov
D. Boris Drubetskoy

B. Hélène Bezukhova.
Hélène, Anatole’s sister, opened the door of her box and said, “Let me introduce my brother to you”.

34. What did Natasha feel when Anatole first spoke to her at the opera?

A. Intense distaste
B. Disgusted embarrassment
C. A strange, pleasant constraint
D. A desire to run away

C. A strange, pleasant constraint.
She was strangely and agreeably struck by his simple manner, yet felt constrained and oppressed in his presence.

35. What key detail about Anatole did Sonya immediately doubt when Natasha revealed his letter?

A. His wealth
B. His looks
C. His honour/sincerity
D. His military rank

C. His honour/sincerity.
Sonya repeatedly questioned why the proposal was secret, immediately doubting if Anatole was an honourable man or a deceiver.

36. What item of Anatole’s did Pierre seize and shake when confronting him about Natasha?

A. His walking stick
B. The collar of his uniform
C. His empty wallet
D. His dueling pistol

B. The collar of his uniform.
Pierre seized Anatole by the collar of his uniform with his big hand and shook him until Anatole showed terror.

37. What did Pierre exclaim to Natasha when he felt overcome with pity and love for her?

A. He would find her fiancé
B. He would challenge Anatole
C. He would ask for her hand, if he were free
D. She should forgive herself

C. He would ask for her hand, if he were free.
Pierre said if he were the best man in the world and free, he would “this moment ask on my knees for your hand”.

38. What foreign figures did Napoleon mention that Alexander had surrounded himself with?

A. Murat and Lannes
B. Steins, Armfeldts, and Wintzingerodes
C. Hugo and Stendhal
D. Metternich and Talleyrand

B. Steins, Armfeldts, and Wintzingerodes.
Napoleon noted Alexander was surrounded by his enemies, naming Stein, Armfeldt, Bennigsen, and Wintzingerode.

39. What number did Pierre calculate that L’russe Besuhof equalled to confirm the Apocalypse prophecy?

A. 333
B. 1812
C. 666
D. 777

C. 666.
By omitting ‘e’ from ‘Le russe Besuhof,’ Pierre got the total 666, linking himself to the Beast’s prophecy.

40. What was Napoleon’s response when Balashov remarked that Moscow was Russia’s holy city?

A. He dismissed the idea as superstition
B. He compared it to Paris
C. He compared it to Spain
D. He said he looked forward to visiting

C. He compared it to Spain.
Napoleon ignored the insult and compared Moscow to Spain, where “there are also many churches and monasteries”.

41. Which general did Kutuzov say was “stùpid” but experienced in military matters?

A. Barclay de Tolly
B. Bagration
C. Miloradovich
D. Pfuel

B. Bagration.
Napoleon quoted Kutuzov, saying Bagration was “stùpid, but he has experience, a quick eye, and resolution”.

42. What was the key flaw Paulucci pointed out about Pfuel’s Drissa camp plan?

A. It was too far north
B. It had an exposed/vulnerable rear
C. The ground was too marshy
D. It was poorly fortified

B. It had an exposed/vulnerable rear.
Paulucci declared that whoever advised the Drissa camp plan deserved the madhouse or the gallows, as it had an exposed rear.

43. What did Napoleon claim military art essentially was?

A. The art of organization
B. The art of surprise attacks
C. The art of being stronger than the enemy at a given moment
D. The art of inspiring heroism

C. The art of being stronger than the enemy at a given moment.
Napoleon defined military art as “the art of being stronger than the enemy at a given moment,” and nothing more.

44. What was the one certainty Prince Andrei felt on the eve of the Borodino battle?

A. That Russia would win
B. That he would die bravely
C. The unimportance of everything he understood
D. The necessity of killing Napoleon

C. The unimportance of everything he understood.
Prince Andrei was convinced of “the unimportance of everything I understand, and the greatness of something incomprehensible”.

45. What force did Kutuzov believe ultimately decided the result of a battle?

A. Superior troop numbers
B. The orders of the commander
C. The spirit of the army
D. The number of cannon

C. The spirit of the army.
Kutuzov understood that battle is decided by the “intangible force called the spirit of the army,” not plans or guns.

46. What Russian general did Prince Andrei defend against accusations of being a traitor?

A. Bagration
B. Barclay de Tolly
C. Kutuzov
D. Bennigsen

B. Barclay de Tolly.
Prince Andrei defended Barclay, arguing he was an honest, punctilious German, not a traitor as rumored in Moscow.

47. What French proverb did Kutuzov deliberately utter to Prince Andrei regarding military decisions?

A. L’audace, toujours l’audace
B. Dans le doute, mon cher, abstiens-toi
C. Le coup de théâtre avait raté
D. L’honneur est tout

B. Dans le doute, mon cher, abstiens-toi.
Kutuzov told Prince Andrei that, in doubt, “abstiens-toi” (refrain), emphasizing patience over rash action.

48. What did Princess Marya offer to the rebellious peasants at Bogucharovo?

A. To share all her grain and possessions
B. Her late father’s will
C. A written plea for their freedom
D. To surrender to the French

A. To share all her grain and possessions.
She offered to share all her wealth, saying, “All that is mine is yours,” on behalf of her dead father and brother.

49. How did Princess Marya finally feel relief after her father’s death?

A. By reading the Scriptures
B. By weeping and repeating a loving word
C. By praying to the Holy Virgin
D. By organizing his funeral

B. By weeping and repeating a loving word.
She began sobbing, uttering the caressing word her father spoke just before he died, which relieved her soul.

50. What type of criminal was Pierre astonished to see being flogged in the Bolotnoe Place in Moscow?

A. A political revolutionary
B. A French cook accused of being a spy
C. A deserter from the Russian army
D. A rebellious serf

B. A French cook accused of being a spy.
Pierre stopped to watch a French cook, accused of being a spy, being flogged at the Lobnoe Place.

Brief Overview

War and Peace is an epic historical novel by Leo Tolstoy. It was published in 1869. The massive work portrays Russian society during the turbulent period of the Napoleonic Wars, from 1805 to 1812.

The novel details the personal struggles of numerous characters, with a focus on three main protagonists. These are Pierre Bezukhov, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, and Natasha Rostova.

The book sets these personal family stories against the massive chaos of historical battles. It includes major conflicts like Austerlitz and Borodino.

The character Pierre unexpectedly becomes wealthy and enters a disastrous marriage with Hélène Kuragina. Meanwhile, Prince Andrei falls in love with the spirited Natasha—their engagement breaks when Natasha is drawn to Anatole Kuragin.

Tolstoy shows that the true nature of war lies in confusing, ordinary details, not in the grand plans of generals. He argues that history is moved by the collective will of the masses, not by figures like Napoleon.

The book ultimately concludes by showing the importance of love, domestic life, and the new generation. It finds lasting value in ordinary reality, even when set against major world events.