Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" Pt. I Quiz

Answer: unhappy

Tolstoy's first line is perhaps the most fitting he could have written. Throughout the book, we encounter families as well as individuals who carry their own unique problems and sufferings. Unhappiness plagues nearly every family including the Oblonskys, Karenins, Shcherbatskys, and Levins.

Answer: Her husband had an affair with a French governess.

Dolly's husband Stiva had accidentally allowed his wife to discover a letter that gave proof to his affair. Her reaction was to lock herself up in her room, inconsolable. After their many years of marriage and many children, Dolly felt the betrayal deeply. She told her husband that he was disgusting and that she didn't want to talk to him.

Answer: Anna Karenina

Anna is Stiva's sister, and a close friend to Dolly. Stiva placed all his hopes on Anna, believing that she could persuade Dolly to keep their marriage intact. Anna's visit did eventually help Dolly make up her mind to stay with Stepan Arkadyich.

Answer: At an ice skating rink

Levin met Kitty at the skating rink at the Zoological Gardens, where he guessed she might be. He was known for being an accomplished skater, and quickly did a few moves in front of Kitty. As he had been a close family friend when she was young, she became embarrassed by his advances, and distanced herself from him.

Answer: He lived in the country and had no social status.

Levin came from a wealthy family and lived on a large estate. The problem was that the estate was quite a distance from any areas of cultural value, and Kitty was a creature of the cities. Levin was several years older than her, but he argued that it was completely natural for an older man to court a younger girl, especially if he could provide for her (she was eighteen and he was thirty-two).

Answer: Russian women of Kitty's age liked to pick their own husbands rather than having arranged marriages.

The old princess was concerned that her daughter would not choose a husband who was the best choice for her. She wanted Kitty to marry the young Count Vronsky, an up and coming officer who held a high status in society. She firmly disliked the idea of Kitty marrying Konstantin Levin, who she considered a country bumpkin. Ironically, Kitty's father thought kindly on the idea that Kitty marry Levin, a man he knew for many years.

Answer: True

Levin was disappointed with the answer, but Kitty already had another suitor in Vronsky, and she thought him the better choice at the moment. Dejected, Levin attempted to leave the house quickly, but was forced into staying and subjected to the humiliation of talking with Kitty's friends and even Count Vronsky.

Answer: Countess Vronsky

Anna had discussed Countess Vronsky's son with her the whole journey, and Vronsky seemed abashed that he had been the topic of conversation between the two women.

Answer: A train ran over a worker and he gave money to the widow.

The worker being killed by the train was seen as a bad omen for Anna. She saw kindness in the act that Vronsky did for the woman, even though she secretly believed that he had done it because of her.

Answer: She would forgive her husband.

"I would forgive," Anna said, "and forgive in such a way as if it hadn't happened, hadn't happened at all." Anna convinced Dolly to forgive her husband, and they were soon back together. However, the happiness didn't last long.

Answer: black

Kitty immediately agreed that black was her best color and that the dress suited her perfectly. Anna gained the attention of Vronsky throughout the ball, and her black dress is perhaps thought to show her as a seductress (though it was unintentional on her part).

Answer: She expected to dance it with Vronsky.

Kitty believed that she would have the hand of Count Vronsky for the last mazurka, and so turned down the offers of many men who wished to dance with her. However, Vronsky, who had danced with Anna for much of the night, decided to dance it with her. Kitty was almost left without a partner (a social disgrace) and ended up dancing with Korsunsky.

Answer: Give him money or charity

Nikolai, who had basically given up any claim to money or property from their father, demanded that Konstantin not visit him in order to help him. Konstantin said simply that he was there to visit him. It was easily apparent that Nikolai was degenerating before his eyes due to illness.

Answer: She thought she might have ruined things between Vronsky and Kitty.

At the ball, Anna knew that her dancing with Vronsky for much of the night had upset Kitty, and in order to ensure that the two wouldn't dispute over her, she decided to leave earlier than expected.

Answer: Count Vronsky

Vronsky had decided that his love for Anna was so great that he would follow her back to St. Petersburg. The awkward moment came once Anna realized that Vronsky had followed her and that her husband, Alexei Karenin, was also at the train station to meet her.