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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How much longer does Raskolnikov have to serve of his prison sentence?

2. Who visits Raskolnikov in this chapter?

3. Who does Dunya ask to see?

4. How much does Luzhin say Sonia has stolen?

5. Why has Sonia waited for Raskolnikev the whole day?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Luzhin make Sonia look guilty?

2. How do you think not confessing to the murder will affect Raskolnikov?

3. Why is making a public confession so difficult for Raskolnikov?

4. What does Chapter four show about Svidrigaylov's character?

5. Do you think Raskolnikov has finally accepted his guilt?

6. How does Dostoevsky portray Raskolnikov's conflicting emotions in chapter four?

7. Why do you think Luzhin is so angry at Raskolnikov?

8. Why do you think Dostoevsky distances the reader from Raskolnikov?

9. Why do you think Mrs. Marmaladov loses control?

10. What do you think Dunya represented to Svidgaylov?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Identify the main themes in the novel and describe how Dostoevsky expresses each theme in the book. What do you think the themes say about his opinions as a writer and intellectual?

Essay Topic 2

Choose one of the class distinctions below and describe their living conditions in 19th century Russia.

1) Working class

2) Middle class

3) Upper-class

Do you think Dostoevsky portray a severe inequality in Russian society?

Essay Topic 3

The novel is set in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.

1) What meaning does St. Petersburg bring to the novel? What would you automatically presume about a novel that was set in St. Petersburg?

2) How different do you think today's St. Petersburg is to the St. Petersburg in the novel? How do you think the novel's meaning would change if it were set in today's St. Petersburg?

3) How do you think the interior settings of the novel contribute to the novel's dark atmosphere?

(see the answer keys)

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