Part VI - Chapter IV Quiz — Crime and Punishment

How did Marfa Petrovna first become involved with Svidrigailov?

• She was introduced to him at a society ball in Petersburg
• She bought him out of debtor's prison for an immense sum
• She inherited him as a dependent through a family arrangement
• She employed him as a tutor for her children on the estate

Under the unwritten contract, what was Svidrigailov forbidden from doing?

• Traveling abroad without Marfa Petrovna's explicit written permission
• Spending more than a fixed sum on personal entertainment and gifts
• Falling in love with a woman of their social class or keeping a permanent mistress
• Speaking to female servants without Marfa Petrovna being present in the room

According to Svidrigailov, why was Dunya's pity for him dangerous?

• Pity made her neglect her duties as a governess and aroused Marfa's jealousy
• Pity drove her to confront him physically, creating public scenes on the estate
• Once a girl's heart is moved to pity, she feels bound to save him, making her vulnerable
• Pity made her share his secrets with others, threatening his social reputation

What does Svidrigailov call the "most powerful weapon in the subjection of the female heart"?

• Wealth and the promise of financial security for her family
• Flattery, which he says is always agreeable even when entirely false
• Jealousy, which he provokes by flirting with other women nearby
• Vulnerability, as he pretends to be wounded and in need of rescue

How old is Svidrigailov's fiancee, and how was the match arranged?

• She is eighteen and was introduced through a mutual friend at church
• She is not yet sixteen, and his landlady Madame Resslich arranged the match
• She is seventeen and her father proposed the match to pay off family debts
• She is fourteen and was selected by Marfa Petrovna before her death

To what famous artwork does Svidrigailov compare his young fiancee's face?

• Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, for her mysterious and knowing expression
• Botticelli's Venus, for her classical beauty and innocence emerging from nature
• Raphael's Sistine Madonna, for her mournful religious ecstasy and purity
• Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, for her wide-eyed gaze and luminous skin

What does Svidrigailov suspect Madame Resslich's true intention is in arranging the marriage?

• She hopes to inherit Svidrigailov's fortune if the young bride dies early
• She plans to blackmail him with knowledge of his past crimes and scandals
• She thinks he will abandon the girl, allowing Resslich to exploit her afterward
• She intends to use the marriage to gain social standing in Petersburg society

Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

In the context of this chapter, what does "profligate" mean when Svidrigailov says Marfa Petrovna saw him as "a dissolute profligate incapable of real love"?

• A person who is shy and withdrawn, unable to form emotional connections
• A person who is recklessly immoral, especially in sexual conduct
• A person who is intellectually gifted but emotionally unavailable to others
• A person who is physically violent and prone to uncontrollable outbursts

What does Svidrigailov mean when he calls his description of Marfa Petrovna "a decorous oraison funèbre"?

• A romantic love letter written in the French epistolary tradition
• A formal funeral oration, used here with sarcastic irony about his dead wife
• A legal deposition submitted as evidence in a criminal court proceeding
• A philosophical meditation on the nature of marriage and fidelity

When Raskolnikov mentions "the footman who came to you after death to fill your pipe," what earlier revelation is he referencing?

• A ghost story Svidrigailov told about a dead servant appearing to him as an apparition
• A rumor that Svidrigailov forced his footman to work even while severely ill
• A folk tale about dead servants haunting cruel masters in the Russian countryside
• A joke Svidrigailov made about hiring servants so lazy they seem half-dead

Why does Raskolnikov call Svidrigailov "a worn-out profligate" as they prepare to leave?

• He is envious of Svidrigailov's wealth and tries to diminish him socially
• He is disgusted by Svidrigailov's stories of sexual predation and manipulation
• He is testing whether Svidrigailov will react violently to personal insults
• He is quoting something Marfa Petrovna once said about her husband publicly

What change does Raskolnikov notice in Svidrigailov as they leave the tavern?

• Svidrigailov becomes weepy and sentimental, begging Raskolnikov to forgive him
• Svidrigailov grows drowsy and unsteady, needing support to walk to the street
• Svidrigailov's drunkenness fades rapidly, and he becomes ruder and more sneering
• Svidrigailov becomes friendly and invites Raskolnikov to dine with him the next day