The Death of Ivan Ilyich

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following words best describes the reaction of the men upon hearing the news of Ivan’s death?

A) Troubled

B) Empathetic

C) Opportunistic

D) Outraged

2. Which of the following words best describes Praskovya Fyodorovna’s character in Chapter 1?

A) Conniving

B) Ignorant

C) Timid

D) Stoic

3. Based on the description of Ivan’s life in Chapter 2, which of the following statements is true?

A) He lacked the ambition to achieve financially secure work.

B) He constantly lived in the shadow of his youngest brother.

C) He desired to make his mark on the world in an unconventional manner.

D) He grew up in a well-to-do and socially conscious family.

4. What attracted Ivan to his work?

A) Power

B) Fame

C) Advocacy

D) Discipline

5. Read this excerpt from Chapter 2:

There remained only rare periods of amorousness that came over the spouses, but they did not last long. These were islands that they would land on temporarily, but then they would put out again to the sea of concealed enmity that expressed itself in estrangement from each other.

 Which of the following literary terms is used in this quote?

A) Metaphor

B) Personification

C) Simile

D) Paradox

6. Which of the following phrases best describes the “joys” of Ivan’s life?

A) Spending time with his family

B) Progressing intellectually at his work

C) Hosting social functions

D) Buying farming land

7. How does the author use the main character’s suffering to create tension?

A) By showing the results of a life lived in vain

B) By reminding the reader that all of us are sinners

C) By revealing how dissent leads to destruction

D) By questioning the motivations of the powerful

8. How does Chapter 8 contribute to the development of the novella’s themes?

A) It tells an anecdote that reinforces Gerasim’s role in supporting Ivan.

B) It reveals Ivan’s financial concerns through his inner monologue.

C) It gives the reader insight into the monotony of one of Ivan’s last days.

D) It provides a vignette showing the role of homeopathic medicine in 19th-century Russia.

9. Which of the following phrases best describes how Ivan faces his final days?

A) Grappling with anger and the meaning of life

B) Concerned about the well-being of his family

C) Remorseful for his multitude of sins

D) Relieved to be leaving the material world and entering the kingdom of God

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Describe the structure and pace of the story’s plot. What is the impact of starting with the immediate aftermath of Ivan Ilyich’s death rather than telling the story chronologically? When does time move quickly in the story, and when does time slow down? Why?