Part VI - Chapter V Practice Quiz — Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Part VI - Chapter V
How does Svidrigailov get rid of Raskolnikov at the start of Chapter V?
He gets into a carriage pretending to leave, but once Raskolnikov turns away, Svidrigailov gets out after less than a hundred paces and doubles back on foot.
How does Svidrigailov lure Dunya to his rooms?
He intercepts her near the bridge, tells her he has a "curious secret" about her brother in his keeping, and promises to show her papers and let her hear Sonya's testimony. He plays on her fear for Raskolnikov.
What does Svidrigailov show Dunya in the empty adjoining rooms?
He shows her the chair he placed by the door connecting to Sonya's room, where he sat listening to Raskolnikov's confession "on two successive evenings, for two hours each time."
What crime does Svidrigailov reveal to Dunya?
That Raskolnikov murdered the pawnbroker Alyona Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta with an axe, robbed them of money and valuables, and confessed the full details to Sonya.
What bargain does Svidrigailov propose to Dunya?
He offers to save Raskolnikov -- providing money, passports, and passage abroad -- if Dunya will submit to him. He declares his love and offers to be her "slave."
What happens when Dunya fires the revolver at Svidrigailov?
The first shot grazes his temple, drawing blood. The second shot misfires. Rather than reload the remaining charge, Dunya throws the gun away.
What word from Dunya finally breaks Svidrigailov's resolve?
"Never" -- her answer when he asks if she could ever love him. Dostoevsky describes "a moment of terrible, dumb struggle in the heart of Svidrigailov" before he surrenders the key.
What does Svidrigailov do with the revolver after Dunya leaves?
He picks it up, examines it, notes that it has two charges and one capsule remaining, confirms it can still be fired, and puts it in his pocket before leaving.
How does Dunya initially react to Svidrigailov's claim that Raskolnikov is a murderer?
She refuses to believe it: "It cannot be. There was not the slightest cause, no sort of ground. It's a lie, a lie!" She had already heard the rumor and dismissed it as "a disgusting and ridiculous suspicion."
How does Svidrigailov describe his own feelings during the confrontation?
Despite appearing composed, "his heart was throbbing and he could scarcely breathe." He speaks loudly to cover his growing excitement. When he declares his love, he is "trembling all over" and "hardly able to utter the words for emotion."
What accusation does Dunya level against Svidrigailov about his wife?
She accuses him of poisoning Marfa Petrovna, saying "You hinted it yourself; you talked to me of poison. I know you went to get it... you had it in readiness." She calls him "a murderer."
How does Svidrigailov justify his attempted assault on Dunya?
He argues she would be "simply submitting to circumstances, to violence" and need feel no remorse, that no one would believe her complaint, and that it was her only way to save her brother. He claims his "personal conviction" is that "violence is hateful."
What does Dunya's decision to throw away the gun rather than kill Svidrigailov reveal about her character?
It shows her moral resolve: she refuses to become a killer even in self-defense and even to save herself from assault. This transforms the confrontation from physical violence to a purely moral contest that she wins.
How does this chapter challenge Raskolnikov's "extraordinary man" theory?
Svidrigailov -- who lives by the principle that a "single misdeed is permissible if the principal aim is right" -- discovers that moral force (Dunya's refusal) cannot be overcome by power, cunning, or wealth, undermining the theory that superior individuals can impose their will without consequence.
What does the locked room symbolize in this chapter?
The locked room symbolizes entrapment -- both Dunya's physical imprisonment and, more broadly, the psychological imprisonment that guilt and obsession create for characters throughout the novel, including Raskolnikov himself.
How does the theme of love versus obsession play out in Svidrigailov's behavior?
Svidrigailov claims to love Dunya, but his love manifests as coercion, blackmail, and entrapment. When Dunya says "Never," he releases her, suggesting a kernel of genuine feeling -- but one inseparable from his need to possess and control.
What is the significance of Svidrigailov's "smile of despair" after Dunya leaves?
It signals the extinction of his last hope for human connection. Having failed to corrupt the one person whose love might have redeemed him, he has nothing left -- leading directly to his suicide in the next chapter.
How does Dostoevsky use dramatic irony in this chapter?
The reader already knows from earlier chapters that Svidrigailov eavesdropped on Raskolnikov's confession. This foreknowledge creates dread as the reader watches him deploy the information as a weapon against Dunya.
What is the function of the gun's misfire as a literary device?
The misfire shifts the scene from physical to moral confrontation. With the gun neutralized, Dunya must face Svidrigailov unarmed, and her moral strength -- her spoken "Never" -- becomes the force that defeats him.
How does the revolver function as a symbol that connects multiple chapters?
The gun belonged to Marfa Petrovna (whom Svidrigailov may have killed), is used by Dunya in self-defense, and becomes the instrument of Svidrigailov's suicide -- linking past crimes, present confrontation, and future self-destruction in a single object.
What does Svidrigailov mean by "une theorie comme une autre"?
"A theory like any other" -- he uses the French phrase dismissively, suggesting that Raskolnikov's theory about extraordinary men is merely one intellectual framework among many, nothing special.
What does "indiscretion" mean when Svidrigailov says "The slightest indiscretion is as bad as betrayal"?
A lack of prudence or discretion; a careless remark or action that reveals something meant to be kept secret. Svidrigailov warns that any slip about Raskolnikov's crime would be as damaging as deliberate betrayal.
What does "breadth" mean in the context of Svidrigailov's philosophical remarks?
He refers to the Russian national character being "broad" -- meaning expansive, extreme, and willing to embrace contradictions. Russians are "exceedingly disposed to the fantastic, the chaotic," lacking fixed moral traditions.
Who says: "Let me go... I swear I'll shoot again. I... I'll kill you"?
Dunya (Avdotya Romanovna), after her first shot grazes Svidrigailov's temple and he dares her to fire again.
What is the full context of Svidrigailov saying "Make haste! Make haste!"?
After handing Dunya the key without turning to face her, he repeats "Make haste!" -- with what the narrator calls "a terrible significance in the tone," suggesting he fears his own resolve might break if she delays.