Crime and Punishment, Translator's Preface quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. What was Dostoevsky's father's occupation?

   • A lawyer
   • Correct answer: A doctor
   • A priest
   • A military officer

   The preface states that "Dostoevsky was the son of a doctor."

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2. 2

   Question 2. How many rooms did the Dostoevsky family live in with their five children?

   • One room
   • Correct answer: Two rooms
   • Three rooms
   • Four rooms

   The preface says the family was "so poor that they lived with their five children in only two rooms."

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3. 3

   Question 3. What was Dostoevsky's first published work?

   • Crime and Punishment
   • The Dead House
   • Correct answer: Poor Folk
   • The Brothers Karamazov

   The preface notes that at the Petersburg School of Engineering, "he had already begun his first work, Poor Folk," which was published by the poet Nekrassov.

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4. 4

   Question 4. In what year was Dostoevsky arrested?

   • 1845
   • Correct answer: 1849
   • 1859
   • 1864

   The preface states: "In 1849 he was arrested."

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5. 5

   Question 5. Which political theorists did Dostoevsky's reading circle study?

   • Marx and Engels
   • Correct answer: Fourier and Proudhon
   • Hegel and Kant
   • Voltaire and Rousseau

   The preface says Dostoevsky "was one of a little group of young men who met together to read Fourier and Proudhon."

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6. 6

   Question 6. What was Dostoevsky's death sentence commuted to?

   • Exile abroad
   • House arrest
   • Correct answer: Hard labour
   • Military service only

   The preface states: "The sentence was commuted to hard labour."

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7. 7

   Question 7. What nervous disease did Dostoevsky develop after his imprisonment?

   • Parkinson's disease
   • Correct answer: Epilepsy
   • Chronic migraines
   • Paralysis

   The preface says "this now developed into violent attacks of epilepsy, from which he suffered for the rest of his life."

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8. 8

   Question 8. What monument's unveiling prompted Dostoevsky's famous 1880 speech?

   • A monument to Gogol
   • Correct answer: A monument to Pushkin
   • A monument to the Tsar
   • A monument to Peter the Great

   The preface says: "In June 1880 he made his famous speech at the unveiling of the monument to Pushkin in Moscow."

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9. 9

   Question 9. Which of these statements are made in the Translator's Preface?

   • Dostoevsky's parents spent their evenings reading aloud to their children from serious books.

     Happened

   • Dostoevsky was first in his class at the Petersburg School of Engineering.

     Didn't happen

   • One prisoner named Grigoryev went permanently insane after the mock execution.

     Happened

   • Dostoevsky wrote Crime and Punishment while in prison in Siberia.

     Didn't happen

   • Dostoevsky's journal "Vremya" was forbidden by the censorship through a misunderstanding.

     Happened

   • Dostoevsky refused to pay his brother Mihail's debts after his death.

     Didn't happen

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10. 10

    Question 10. Which of these details appear in the Translator's Preface?

    • Dostoevsky was described as "neither by temperament nor conviction a revolutionist."

      Happened

    • Dostoevsky's epileptic fits occurred three or four times a year.

      Happened

    • Dostoevsky's first wife helped him pay off his debts.

      Didn't happen

    • The later years of his life were softened by the devotion of his second wife.

      Happened

    • Dostoevsky was allowed to return to Russia in 1855.

      Didn't happen

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11. 11

    Question 11. What does 'acclamations' mean as used in the preface?

    • Harsh criticisms
    • Correct answer: Enthusiastic expressions of approval
    • Quiet acknowledgments
    • Financial rewards

    The preface says Poor Folk "was received with acclamations," meaning it was greeted with enthusiastic praise and approval.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does 'commuted' mean as used in the preface?

    • Traveled daily
    • Correct answer: Changed to a less severe form
    • Carried out immediately
    • Appealed to a higher court

    "The sentence was commuted to hard labour" means the death sentence was officially changed to the lesser punishment of forced labor.

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13. 13

    Question 13. What does 'hapless' mean in the phrase "gave the hapless man the funeral of a king"?

    • Joyful and celebrated
    • Correct answer: Unfortunate and deserving of pity
    • Wealthy and powerful
    • Angry and bitter

    Hapless means unfortunate or unlucky. The phrase describes Dostoevsky as a man who endured great misfortune but was honored with a magnificent funeral.

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