Part I - Chapter VI Practice Quiz — Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Part I - Chapter VI
Why does Raskolnikov first visit the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna?
He needs money and brings two items to pawn: his father's old silver watch and a gold ring with three red stones given to him by his sister.
What does the student in the tavern argue about the pawnbroker?
The student argues that killing the old woman would be morally justified because her wealth could save hundreds of lives, calling her spiteful, useless, and harmful.
How does the officer respond to the student's argument about killing the pawnbroker?
The officer asks the student if he would kill the old woman himself, and the student admits he would not, saying he was only arguing the justice of the idea.
Why is the tavern conversation significant to Raskolnikov?
He hears a stranger articulate the exact same idea he has been developing, and interprets this coincidence as a fateful sign endorsing his plan.
What is the purpose of the cloth noose Raskolnikov sews into his overcoat?
The noose is designed to hold the head of an axe concealed under his coat, allowing him to carry it through the streets without detection.
What is the fake pledge Raskolnikov creates, and why?
It is a piece of wood with an iron strip, wrapped in white paper and tied with intricate knots, designed to distract the pawnbroker while she struggles to untie it.
Why can't Raskolnikov take the kitchen axe as planned?
He finds Nastasya unexpectedly at home in the kitchen doing laundry, blocking his access to the axe.
How does Raskolnikov ultimately obtain an axe?
He discovers the porter's axe lying under a bench in the gateway and steals it, fitting it into the noose inside his coat.
How does Raskolnikov's character reveal internal contradiction in this chapter?
He intellectually justifies the murder through utilitarian logic, yet experiences physical symptoms of terror—a throbbing heart, trembling hands, and feverish agitation—that betray his moral unease.
What does Raskolnikov's superstitious nature reveal about him?
Despite his rational theories, he interprets coincidences as signs of fate, showing that his intellectual framework is undermined by irrational, almost mystical thinking.
How is Lizaveta characterized through the student's description?
Lizaveta is described as tall, gentle, submissive, and exploited—she works constantly for her sister, gives her all earnings, and inherits nothing under the will.
What role does Nastasya play in this chapter?
Nastasya serves as an unwitting obstacle, her unexpected presence in the kitchen forces Raskolnikov to abandon his plan to take the kitchen axe, nearly derailing the murder.
How does the student in the tavern function as a narrative device?
He serves as a foil to Raskolnikov, voicing the same utilitarian argument for murder but refusing to act on it, highlighting the crucial difference between theorizing about crime and committing it.
How does the theme of fate versus free will operate in this chapter?
Raskolnikov interprets the tavern coincidence and the discovery of the porter's axe as preordained signs, raising the question of whether he acts from deliberate choice or is drawn to crime by forces beyond his control.
What is the utilitarian moral argument presented in this chapter?
The student argues that one small crime (killing the pawnbroker) could be offset by thousands of good deeds funded by her money—"one death, and a hundred lives in exchange."
How does Dostoevsky explore the gap between theory and action?
The student advocates murder in theory but refuses to act; Raskolnikov's own intellect approves the plan while his body resists—showing that rational justification does not eliminate moral horror.
What is the significance of Raskolnikov's oasis daydream?
The dream of cool blue water in an Egyptian oasis symbolically contrasts the purity and peace he craves with the moral darkness and oppressive squalor of his actual life in St. Petersburg.
How does Dostoevsky use dramatic irony in the tavern scene?
The reader knows Raskolnikov is planning the murder, so the student's hypothetical argument carries weight the speakers cannot understand, creating tension between what the characters know and what the reader knows.
What does Raskolnikov's comparison to a man led to execution foreshadow?
His thought that condemned men "clutch mentally at every object" on their way to death foreshadows the psychological consequences of the murder and his own eventual path toward confession and punishment.
What literary technique does Dostoevsky use by shifting between past and present?
The analepsis (flashback) to the tavern conversation creates a sense of inevitability, showing how the idea for the murder grew over time through seemingly fated coincidences.
What does the word "casuistry" mean as used in this chapter?
Casuistry refers to the use of clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions. Raskolnikov's casuistry "had become keen as a razor," meaning his rationalizations for the murder had become highly refined.
What does "ineradicable" mean in the context of Raskolnikov's superstition?
Ineradicable means impossible to remove or destroy. It describes how traces of superstition remained in Raskolnikov long after these events, suggesting his belief in fate was deeply rooted.
"When reason fails, the devil helps!" What does Raskolnikov mean by this?
Raskolnikov says this after finding the porter's axe when his rational plan failed. The quote reveals his superstitious belief that supernatural forces are aiding his crime, blending irony with dark humor.
"One death, and a hundred lives in exchange—it's simple arithmetic!" Who says this and what does it mean?
The student in the tavern says this, reducing the moral question of murder to a cold utilitarian calculation. It mirrors Raskolnikov's own rationalization and exposes the dangerous logic of treating human lives as numbers.
"Would you kill the old woman yourself?" What is the importance of this question?
The officer asks this to challenge the student's theoretical argument. It exposes the crucial divide between intellectual justification and the willingness to act, a divide Raskolnikov is about to cross.