Part III - Chapter III Practice Quiz — Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Part III - Chapter III
Who reports on Raskolnikov's health at the start of Part III, Chapter III?
Doctor Zossimov, who announces "He is well, quite well!" and notes significant improvement from the day before.
What does Raskolnikov confess about the money his mother sent him?
He gave away all the money to the widow Katerina Marmeladov for her husband's funeral expenses, calling his action "unpardonable."
What ultimatum does Raskolnikov give Dunya regarding Luzhin?
"It is me or Luzhin. If I am a scoundrel, you must not be. One is enough. If you marry Luzhin, I cease at once to look on you as a sister."
How does Dunya defend her decision to marry Luzhin?
She says she marries "for my own sake, because things are hard for me" and insists it is the lesser of two evils, not a sacrifice for her family.
What false claim in Luzhin's letter does Raskolnikov correct?
Luzhin wrote that Raskolnikov gave money to Sonya (a woman "of notorious behaviour"), but Raskolnikov actually gave it to the widow Katerina Marmeladov for the funeral.
What news does Pulcheria Alexandrovna share about Marfa Petrovna?
Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailov has died suddenly from a stroke after being beaten by her husband. She collapsed in a cold bath shortly after the beating.
What is decided about the meeting with Luzhin?
Dunya asks Raskolnikov to attend the meeting at eight o'clock that evening, and also invites Razumihin. The family chooses confrontation over concealment.
What does Raskolnikov remember about a girl he once loved?
He recalls a sickly girl who dreamed of a nunnery and gave alms to the poor. He says he was drawn to her because she was ill, calling it "a sort of spring delirium."
How does Pulcheria Alexandrovna behave during the visit to Raskolnikov?
She is anxious and timid, alternating between ecstatic happiness at signs of affection and terror at Raskolnikov's strange moods. She was "crossing herself with terror" as she came up the stairs.
What reveals Razumihin's romantic feelings for Dunya in this chapter?
When he learns Dunya's watch was a gift from Marfa Petrovna and not from Luzhin, he is "unreasonably delighted." He also blushes "in terrible confusion" when Raskolnikov asks Dunya if she likes him.
How does Zossimov characterize the boundary between sanity and madness?
He states that "a normal man hardly exists" and that "among dozens--perhaps hundreds of thousands--hardly one is to be met with," suggesting everyone is somewhat mad.
What does Dunya's response to the Svidrigailov discussion reveal about her character?
She notes Svidrigailov was usually patient and considerate for seven years, prompting Raskolnikov to accuse her of defending him. This shows her fairness and complexity of judgment even toward those who wronged her.
What is Raskolnikov's inner reaction to Dunya's defense of her marriage?
He thinks: "She is lying... Proud creature! She won't admit she wants to do it out of charity! Too haughty! Oh, base characters! They even love as though they hate."
How does the chapter develop the theme of isolation after crime?
Raskolnikov realizes with anguish that he will "never again be able to speak freely of everything" to anyone. His crime has created an unbridgeable gulf between himself and those he loves.
What philosophical question about self-sacrifice does the Raskolnikov-Dunya debate raise?
Whether one has the moral right to demand heroism from others. Dunya asks: "Why do you demand of me a heroism that perhaps you have not either?" exposing Raskolnikov's hypocrisy as a secret murderer judging others' moral compromises.
How does Raskolnikov's French quote relate to the theme of moral rights?
He quotes "Crevez, chiens, si vous n'êtes pas contents" (Die, dogs, if you are not satisfied), sarcastically suggesting that to help others, one must first "have the right" -- ironic given his theory of extraordinary men having special rights.
How does intelligence versus wisdom emerge as a theme in this chapter?
Raskolnikov says of Luzhin: "to act sensibly, intelligence is not enough." This observation applies ironically to Raskolnikov himself, whose intelligence led him to construct a theory that justified murder.
What is the key example of dramatic irony in this chapter?
Dunya exclaims "I am not committing a murder" during their argument, causing Raskolnikov to nearly faint. Only the reader knows the literal weight of the word "murder" for him.
How does Dostoevsky use free indirect discourse in this chapter?
The narration shifts fluidly into multiple characters' thoughts without quotation marks -- Pulcheria Alexandrovna's anxious admiration of her son, Razumihin's jealous delight about the watch, and Raskolnikov's bitter self-commentary.
What is the symbolic significance of the room being called "like a tomb"?
Pulcheria Alexandrovna's remark that the room is "like a tomb" symbolizes Raskolnikov's spiritual death after the murders. The coffin-like space mirrors his psychological burial under guilt and foreshadows the Christian theme of death and resurrection.
What does "monomaniac" mean in the context of Raskolnikov's behavior?
A person obsessively preoccupied with a single idea or subject. Zossimov uses it to describe how Raskolnikov fell into a frenzy "at the slightest word" the previous day, fixated on his secret guilt.
What does "apropos" mean as Raskolnikov uses it?
Relevant or appropriate to the matter at hand. Raskolnikov says "an observation apropos of the style occurred to me" when analyzing Luzhin's letter, meaning a relevant critical point about the writing.
What does the French phrase "Crevez, chiens, si vous n'êtes pas contents" mean?
"Die, dogs, if you are not satisfied." Raskolnikov quotes it sarcastically after admitting he gave away his mother's money, suggesting that charity without means is presumptuous.
Who says: "We shall have time to speak freely of everything"?
Raskolnikov says this to his mother, but immediately realizes it is "a fearful lie" -- he will never be able to speak freely again because of his crime. The moment illustrates his isolation.
Who says: "Why do you demand of me a heroism that perhaps you have not either? It is despotism; it is tyranny."?
Dunya says this to Raskolnikov during their argument about her marriage to Luzhin, challenging his moral authority to judge her choices when he cannot claim moral superiority himself.