Important MCQs with Answers & Descriptions on Dostoevesky for UGC NET/JRF English

1. What is the title of Dostoevsky's first published novel?  
a) Crime and Punishment  
b) Poor Folk  
c) The Double  
d) The Idiot  

Answer: b) Poor Folk  
Description: Published in 1846, Poor Folk was Dostoevsky's first novel and received critical acclaim for its epistolary style and portrayal of poverty.

2. Which novel is considered Dostoevsky's exploration of the psychology of a murderer?  
a) Demons  
b) Crime and Punishment  
c) The Gambler  
d) The Brothers Karamazov  

Answer: b) Crime and Punishment  
Description: Published in 1866, this novel delves into the moral and psychological turmoil of Raskolnikov, who commits murder.

3. In which work does Dostoevsky famously depict the Underground Man?  
a) The Idiot  
b) Notes from Underground  
c) A Gentle Creature  
d) Demons  

Answer: b) Notes from Underground  
Description: This 1864 novella presents a character known as the Underground Man, embodying existential angst and alienation.

4. Who is the protagonist of The Brothers Karamazov?  
a) Dmitri Karamazov  
b) Ivan Karamazov  
c) Alyosha Karamazov  
d) All of the above  

Answer: d) All of the above  
Description: The Brothers Karamazov (1880) follows the lives of three brothers, exploring themes of faith, morality, and familial conflict.

5. What is the subtitle of Demons?  
a) The Devils  
b) A Chronicle of the Seventies  
c) A Political Satire  
d) The Nihilists  

Answer: b) A Chronicle of the Seventies  
Description: Demons (1872) critiques the radical political movements of 19th-century Russia.

6. In which novel does Prince Myshkin appear as a protagonist?  
a) Crime and Punishment  
b) Demons  
c) The Idiot  
d) Poor Folk  

Answer: c) The Idiot  
Description: The Idiot (1869) portrays Prince Myshkin, a Christ-like figure, navigating a corrupt society.

7. What genre best describes The House of the Dead?  
a) Autobiographical memoir  
b) Psychological thriller  
c) Romantic novel  
d) Gothic fiction  

Answer: a) Autobiographical memoir  
Description: Based on Dostoevsky's experiences in a Siberian prison camp, The House of the Dead (1861) reflects on suffering and redemption.

8. Which Dostoevsky novel features the character Smerdyakov?  
a) The Brothers Karamazov  
b) Demons  
c) Crime and Punishment  
d) The Idiot  

Answer: a) The Brothers Karamazov  
Description: Smerdyakov is the illegitimate son in The Brothers Karamazov and plays a crucial role in the murder plot.

9. What inspired Dostoevsky to write The Gambler?  
a) His experiences with gambling addiction  
b) Political revolutions  
c) His time in Siberia  
d) Observations of Russian aristocracy  

Answer: a) His experiences with gambling addiction  
Description: Written in 1867, The Gambler reflects Dostoevsky's own struggles with gambling.

10. Which novella is also known as A Meek One?  
a) White Nights  
b) A Gentle Creature  
c) The Dream of a Ridiculous Man  
d) The Crocodile  

Answer: b) A Gentle Creature  
Description: This 1876 story explores a complex, tragic relationship.

11. Which Dostoevsky work critiques the utopian socialism of his time?  
a) Poor Folk  
b) Demons  
c) Notes from Underground  
d) The Idiot  

Answer: c) Notes from Underground  
Description: The Underground Man rejects the idea of a perfect society, emphasizing human irrationality.

12. Who narrates Notes from Underground?  
a) An anonymous narrator  
b) Raskolnikov  
c) The Underground Man  
d) Prince Myshkin  

Answer: c) The Underground Man  
Description: The novella's unreliable narrator offers a first-person account of his life and philosophy.

13. Which novel's plot revolves around patricide?  
a) The Idiot  
b) The Brothers Karamazov  
c) Demons  
d) Crime and Punishment  

Answer: b) The Brothers Karamazov  
Description: The murder of Fyodor Karamazov and its aftermath drive the novel’s narrative.

14. What is the theme of The Dream of a Ridiculous Man?  
a) Redemption through love  
b) Utopian visions  
c) The absurdity of life  
d) All of the above  

Answer: d) All of the above  
Description: This 1877 short story explores the transformative power of a dream on a despairing man.

15. What is the significance of the novel The Double?  
a) It critiques bureaucratic society  
b) It explores duality and identity  
c) It addresses political revolutions  
d) It depicts a romantic tragedy  

Answer: b) It explores duality and identity  
Description: The Double (1846) portrays a man haunted by his doppelgänger.

16. What is Raskolnikov’s punishment in Crime and Punishment?  
a) Death penalty  
b) Life in Siberian exile  
c) Hard labor for ten years  
d) Public execution  

Answer: b) Life in Siberian exile  
Description: Raskolnikov is sentenced to exile in Siberia, symbolizing his path to redemption.

17. Which work explores nihilism in Russian society?  
a) Crime and Punishment  
b) Demons  
c) The Idiot  
d) Poor Folk  

Answer: b) Demons  
Description: Demons critiques the destructive impact of nihilistic ideologies.

18. Which novel portrays a Christ-like protagonist?  
a) Crime and Punishment  
b) The Idiot  
c) Demons  
d) The Brothers Karamazov  

Answer: b) The Idiot  
Description: Prince Myshkin, the protagonist of The Idiot, embodies Christ-like innocence and goodness.

19. Which work is subtitled Winter Notes on Summer Impressions?  
a) Demons  
b) The House of the Dead  
c) Notes from Underground  
d) Winter Notes on Summer Impressions  

Answer: d) Winter Notes on Summer Impressions  
Description: This 1863 travelogue captures Dostoevsky's impressions of Western Europe.

20. Who is the central female character in Crime and Punishment?  
a) Nastasya Filippovna  
b) Sonia Marmeladov  
c) Katerina Ivanovna  
d) Anna Snitkina  

Answer: b) Sonia Marmeladov  
Description: Sonia represents compassion and spiritual redemption in the novel.

21. Which work depicts life in a Siberian penal colony?  
a) The House of the Dead  
b) Crime and Punishment  
c) The Brothers Karamazov  
d) Demons  

Answer: a) The House of the Dead  
Description: This semi-autobiographical novel is based on Dostoevsky’s experiences in exile.

22. Who is the protagonist of Poor Folk?  
a) Makar Devushkin  
b) Prince Myshkin  
c) Raskolnikov  
d) Alexei Karamazov  

Answer: a) Makar Devushkin  
Description: Makar is a poor clerk whose letters form the narrative of Poor Folk.

23. What drives the plot of The Gambler?  
a) A love triangle  
b) Gambling addiction  
c) Social revolution  
d) An unsolved murder  

Answer: b) Gambling addiction  
Description: The novel reflects Dostoevsky’s personal struggles with gambling.

24. What is the climax of Demons?  
a) A duel  
b) A murder  
c) A public scandal  
d) A fire  

Answer: d) A fire  
Description: The arson symbolizes the chaos unleashed by the nihilists.

25. What is the central theme of White Nights?  
a) Unrequited love  
b) Social inequality  
c) Psychological duality  
d) Religious redemption  

Answer: a) Unrequited love  
Description: This 1848 short story is a poignant tale of love and loneliness.

26. Which novel is considered Dostoevsky’s final work?  
a) Crime and Punishment  
b) The Idiot  
c) The Brothers Karamazov  
d) Demons  

Answer: c) The Brothers Karamazov  
Description: Completed in 1880, this novel is regarded as Dostoevsky’s masterpiece.

27. Which character represents a nihilist in Crime and Punishment?  
a) Sonia Marmeladov  
b) Porfiry Petrovich  
c) Luzhin  
d) Raskolnikov  

Answer: d) Raskolnikov  
Description: Raskolnikov initially embodies nihilistic beliefs but ultimately seeks redemption.

28. What is the narrative style of Poor Folk?  
a) Stream of consciousness  
b) Epistolary  
c) Third-person omniscient  
d) First-person unreliable narrator  

Answer: b) Epistolary  
Description: The novel is told through letters between Makar and Varvara.

29. Who kills Fyodor Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov?  
a) Ivan Karamazov  
b) Dmitri Karamazov  
c) Smerdyakov  
d) Alyosha Karamazov  

Answer: c) Smerdyakov  
Description: Smerdyakov commits the murder, but the crime is pivotal in exploring the brothers’ moral conflicts.

30. In which work does Dostoevsky critique materialism?  
a) The Idiot  
b) Notes from Underground  
c) Crime and Punishment  
d) The House of the Dead  

Answer: b) Notes from Underground  
Description: The novella critiques rationalism and materialism, advocating for the complexity of human nature.