Why does the narrator refuse medical treatment?
To please his servant To act out of spite To save his inheritance To avoid his colleagues
What allows the narrator to retire into isolation?
An army appointment A friend's loan His servant's savings An inheritance he receives
What does the narrator call excessive consciousness?
A form of illness A source of courage A sign of forgiveness A path to friendship
Why can the narrator neither forgive nor take revenge for an imagined slap?
He forgets the insult He fears losing employment His awareness prevents decision His friends demand peace
What does the stone wall represent in the narrator's argument?
His retirement and isolation Natural laws and mathematics His former school enemies Social rank and wealth
How does the imagined mouse respond to humiliation?
It quickly forgives everyone It confidently demands revenge It forgets its injuries It repeatedly rehearses its resentment
How can toothache produce pleasure in the narrator's example?
Through moans that torment others Through praise from grateful listeners Through confidence in a cure Through revenge against an enemy
What drives the narrator to manufacture offense and love?
His wish for promotion His servant's advice His sense of boredom His fear of illness
Why does the narrator wish laziness explained his inactivity?
It would restore his employment It would provide a definite identity It would please his former colleagues It would remove his need for money
What human advantage does the narrator say rational systems overlook?
Freedom from every illness Security through military service Respect from former schoolmates Independent choice and personal wishes
Why might someone deliberately choose something harmful?
To protect personal individuality To obey mathematical rules To ensure material prosperity To eliminate all uncertainty
What does the narrator say will expresses?
Only reasonable personal interests Only a desire for comfort The whole of life The certainty of mathematics
Why might people destroy what they have created?
They always prefer natural laws They fear reaching their goals They have no wish to strive They seek an enduring anthill
Why does the narrator reject the crystal palace?
It belongs to his former employer It cannot keep its inhabitants dry It requires him to join the army It leaves no room for defiance
Why does the narrator decide to record private memories?
To test his honesty with himself To secure a new official post To prove his friends admire him To persuade Apollon to leave
What follows the urgent appeal in the passage before the narrator's memories?
A peaceful return to work A plan for military revenge A painful account of vice A cheerful farewell dinner
What first makes the tall officer an object of lasting resentment?
He refuses to lend money He silently moves the narrator aside He insults Liza's home city He withholds the narrator's wages
What does the narrator treat as proof of equality with the officer?
Receiving an invitation to dinner Winning a duel before witnesses Gaining a higher official rank Deliberately bumping shoulders with him
What eventually pushes the narrator from heroic fantasies toward company?
His dreams of imagined greatness A command from his employer A request from the officer His reconciliation with Apollon
Whose farewell dinner does the narrator insist on joining?
Apollon's farewell dinner Simonov's farewell dinner Zverkov's farewell dinner Anton Antonitch's farewell dinner
Why does the narrator arrive too early for the dinner?
Ferfitchkin gives him the wrong address Simonov forgets to report the changed time Zverkov orders him to come early Apollon deliberately sends him away
What does the narrator do after his apology at dinner fails?
He returns home with Ferfitchkin He asks Apollon to fetch tea He sends Liza a respectful letter He borrows money to follow the group
How does the narrator feel when he finds his dinner companions gone?
Relieved that they have left Certain they will welcome him Angry that Liza has followed Proud of winning their friendship
Where does Liza say she comes from?
The narrator's Petersburg office The Hôtel de Paris The city of Riga Simonov's former school
What remark from Liza wounds the narrator's pride?
She praises Zverkov's generosity She calls his speech bookish She asks him to pay Apollon She says Simonov dislikes him
What does Liza show the narrator before he leaves?
An unpaid household bill An invitation from Simonov A note from the officer A respectful love letter
What false explanation does the narrator give in his apology to Simonov?
He blames his behavior on drink He blames his behavior on Apollon He claims Liza demanded the quarrel He claims Zverkov stole his wages
What does Liza interrupt when she visits the narrator?
A farewell dinner for Zverkov A reunion with former colleagues A furious confrontation with Apollon A planned duel with Ferfitchkin
What motive for his earlier concern does the narrator admit to Liza?
He hoped to impress Simonov He wanted to humiliate someone He wished to obey Apollon He planned to leave Petersburg
What does the narrator discover after Liza leaves?
She has taken his inheritance She has written to Zverkov She has paid Apollon's wages She has left the money behind
