Crime and Punishment

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

PART 1

Reading Check

1. Who is Raskolnikov trying to avoid at the beginning of the novel?

2. What does Marmeladov buy with the money he takes from his daughter?  

3. Who is Aliona’s half-sister?  

4. What does Raskolnikov use to kill Aliona and Lizaveta?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Who is Aliona Ivanovna? Why does Raskolnikov decide to murder her?

2. Who is Dunia? Why was she forced to leave her job as a governess?

Paired Resource

Historical Context for the Novel

• This page, hosted by Columbia College, gives valuable background knowledge to facilitate an understanding of Dostoevsky’s work. 
• This page connects to the theme of Alienation.
• How was Russia caught between being both “European” and “Slavic”? How does the idea of nihilism appear in Crime and Punishment?

PART 2

Reading Check

1. What work does Razumikhin offer Raskolnikov?

2. Who comes to check in on Raskolnikov during his sickness?

3. Who is the man Raskolnikov sees run over by a carriage?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence.