Part VI - Chapter VIII Practice Quiz — Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky — tap or click to flip
Practice Quiz: Part VI - Chapter VIII
Who has been waiting with Sonia all day for Raskolnikov at the beginning of Part VI, Chapter VIII?
Dounia (Raskolnikov's sister). She came that morning after hearing from Svidrigailov that Sonia knew about the crime.
What does Raskolnikov say when he arrives at Sonia's room?
"I have come for your cross, Sonia. It was you told me to go to the cross-roads; why is it you are frightened now it's come to that?"
What two crosses does Sonia take from her drawer?
A cypress wood cross (the peasant one) which she places on Raskolnikov, and a copper cross that belonged to Lizaveta, which Sonia keeps for herself.
What does Raskolnikov do when he reaches the Hay Market?
He kneels in the middle of the square, bows to the earth, and kisses "that filthy earth with bliss and rapture," following Sonia's instruction. He bows a second time but cannot bring himself to declare "I am a murderer."
How do the bystanders in the Hay Market react to Raskolnikov kneeling and kissing the earth?
They assume he is drunk. A youth says "He's boozed," a workman jokes he is "going to Jerusalem," and others remark he is "quite a young man" and possibly "a gentleman."
Who does Raskolnikov see hiding behind a wooden shanty after he bows in the Hay Market?
Sonia. She has followed him from a distance of about fifty paces. Raskolnikov realizes she will follow him "to the ends of the earth."
Why does Raskolnikov leave the police station the first time without confessing?
He is trapped in a long, rambling conversation with Ilya Petrovitch and then learns of Svidrigailov's suicide, which shakes him. He mutters an excuse about coming to see Zametov and stumbles out.
What makes Raskolnikov return to the police station to confess?
Seeing Sonia standing in the yard, "pale and horror-stricken," with a look of "poignant agony" and "despair" on her face. He pauses, grins, and goes back inside.
Why is Ilya Petrovitch called "the Explosive Lieutenant"?
Because of his volatile, excitable temperament. Raskolnikov also uses the nickname "Gunpowder" for him. In this chapter, he talks nonstop about literature, Nihilists, and midwives while oblivious to Raskolnikov's torment.
What is Dounia's emotional state regarding Sonia at the start of this chapter?
Dounia looks at Sonia "almost with reverence," initially embarrassing her. She gains comfort knowing Sonia will accompany her brother wherever fate sends him, and is reassured that Raskolnikov will not be alone.
What two alternatives does Sonia believe Raskolnikov faces?
Siberia or suicide. She remembers Svidrigailov telling her Raskolnikov had "two alternatives—Siberia or . . ." and fears his pride and vanity might lead him to the latter.
How does Ilya Petrovitch react when he recognizes Raskolnikov at the station?
He is exceedingly friendly, apologizes for past rude behavior, praises Raskolnikov as a literary man and gentleman, mentions respecting literature, and rambles at length—completely unaware of why Raskolnikov has come.
What news about Svidrigailov is revealed at the police station?
Ilya Petrovitch mentions suicides and asks for the name of a gentleman who shot himself. A voice from the next room answers "Svidrigailov." He left a note saying he dies "in full possession of his faculties" and no one is to blame.
How does the cypress cross symbolize Raskolnikov's confession?
Raskolnikov himself says, "It's the symbol of my taking up the cross," explicitly connecting his act to Christ's bearing of the cross. The cypress wood (a peasant cross) represents humility and the acceptance of suffering as a path to spiritual redemption.
How does Svidrigailov's suicide serve as a thematic contrast to Raskolnikov's confession?
Svidrigailov and Raskolnikov represent two responses to guilt and moral collapse. Svidrigailov chooses self-destruction, while Raskolnikov chooses confession and the acceptance of suffering—life through pain rather than escape through death.
What is the significance of Raskolnikov kissing the "filthy earth" at the crossroads?
It represents his reconnection with humanity and the physical world after his intellectual isolation. By kissing the dirty ground of the Hay Market, he symbolically acknowledges his sin against the earth and all people, accepting his place among common humanity rather than above it.
Why is it significant that Raskolnikov confesses after learning Svidrigailov is dead?
Svidrigailov was the only person (besides Sonia) who knew of the murders. With his death, no external evidence can compel Raskolnikov's confession. This makes the act purely voluntary—a moral choice rather than a pragmatic surrender.
What dramatic irony pervades the scene at the police station?
Ilya Petrovitch chatters about literature, Raskolnikov's promising career, and his respect for gentlemen—while the "gentleman" before him is a murderer about to confess. The lieutenant is completely oblivious, creating excruciating tension.
How does Dostoevsky use Raskolnikov's interior monologue on the way to the station?
Raskolnikov fixates on trivial details—a sign reading "Campany," a German who bumps him, a beggar woman—as a way to delay confronting his fate. This stream-of-consciousness technique reveals a mind simultaneously racing and trying to freeze time.
What is the structural significance of Raskolnikov's two visits to the police station?
The failed first visit and the successful second mirror the novel's recurring pattern of hesitation and commitment. The two attempts create narrative suspense and show that confession is not a single moment of courage but a struggle against powerful impulses to retreat.
How does the green shawl function as a literary motif?
Sonia puts on the green "drap de dames" shawl that her father Marmeladov described in Part I. Its reappearance links this climactic moment to the novel's beginning and to the theme of family suffering, connecting Sonia's self-sacrifice for her family to her devotion to Raskolnikov.
What does the word "lachrymose" mean, as used when the beggar chants "God bless you" in a "lachrymose voice"?
Lachrymose means tearful or mournful. The beggar speaks in a weeping, sorrowful tone as she blesses Raskolnikov for his five-copeck coin.
What does "poignant" mean, as used in "a poignant and rebellious doubt surged in his heart"?
Poignant means evoking a keen sense of sadness, regret, or emotional pain. Raskolnikov experiences a sharp, piercing doubt about whether his confession is the right path.
What does "nihil est" mean, as Ilya Petrovitch uses it?
Latin for "it is nothing" or "nothing exists." The lieutenant uses it pretentiously to suggest that for an intellectual like Raskolnikov, worldly pleasures are nothing—unknowingly echoing the Nihilist philosophy that has led to Raskolnikov's crime.
Who says "Was it right, was it right, all this?" and what does it reveal?
Raskolnikov thinks this as he descends the stairs after leaving Sonia. It reveals that even at this late moment, he has not fully committed to confessing and is still questioning whether turning himself in is the right choice.
What is the full text of Raskolnikov's confession?
"It was I killed the old pawnbroker woman and her sister Lizaveta with an axe and robbed them." He speaks "softly and brokenly, but distinctly," and then repeats the statement.
What does Raskolnikov mean when he says: "I wanted her tears, I wanted to see her terror, to see how her heart ached!"?
In a moment of brutal self-awareness, he admits he visited Sonia not for her cross or to say goodbye, but because he craved her emotional suffering as something to "cling to"—he needed to feel that someone cared before he gave himself up.