Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina" Pt. II Quiz

Answer: She had come down with an illness.

Distraught over Vronsky's virtual rejection of her, Kitty had come down with an illness. The family doctor suggested the beginnings of tuberculosis, but also suspected some other cause. Others believed that Kitty was merely upset because she had rejected Levin's proposal, and had then been disappointed by Vronsky.

Answer: The conscience of Petersburg society

Anna was tired of the piety and other aspects of Countess Lydia's circle, so she started frequenting with Princess Tverskoy (Betsy), who was seemingly more liberal in her views and also happened to be the cousin of Count Vronsky.

Answer: Cold and calculating

The husband of Anna, Karenin cared about little more than the advancement of his career. He didn't often show any love for Anna, and mostly treated their marriage as a type of duty to uphold. Eventually Anna would grow to be physically sick when she saw her husband.

Answer: He made a deal with a shady merchant that Levin knew was much too low.

Oblonsky was a bit confused over why Levin was so upset over something that was truly none of his concern. The forest that Stiva wished to sell was under Dolly's name, so perhaps it had upset Levin that Stiva wasn't trying harder to get a better deal. The possibility that Levin was still frustrated over Kitty could have also played a part, as Oblonsky had previously mentioned the topic.

Answer: Frou-Frou

During the races, Vronsky fell and the horse became injured. Anna was visibly concerned for Vronsky, which was not a wise thing to do in public. Frou-Frou was killed because it could no longer serve as a racehorse. Gladiator was the name of Vronsky's opponent's horse.

Answer: Continue to make it look like their marriage was still sturdy

Karenin knew that a divorce would be a bad idea, and yet, relations with his wife would be impossible to continue without her cooperation. He demanded that she make their marriage look credible while they figured out what they would do with their relationship.

Answer: Varenka

Varenka's disposition was generally agreeable amongst all who met her, and Kitty was taken by her immediately. Though Varenka was not the daughter of Madame Stahl, the invalid took care of her like she was her own. Kitty and Varenka took care of many of the consumptive patients at the German spa.

Answer: His wife had become jealous of the visits.

Petrov's wife thought that her visits served no medical purpose, but that Kitty and her husband had some romantic connection. Under the advisement of Varenka, she no longer visited the patient.

Answer: She was not an invalid, but was only embarrassed by her stubby legs.

The prince was somewhat disgusted over Madame Stahl's vanity. He believed that she wasn't ill, but only didn't want to get out of bed because her legs were stubby. Kitty heard the comments and her view changed about how sincere the woman actually was about other things.

Answer: Half-brother

Sergei was Levin's older half-brother. He visited him on his estate, and as an intellectual, discussed many new philosophies with Levin, most of which went over his head. Levin enjoyed the company, but also found many of Sergei's ideas and actions annoying to his more simple-minded ways.

Answer: She was having financial problems in the city.

In order to cut down on expenses, Dolly had moved from the city to the country. She had trouble adapting and had to rely on Matryona to do many of the daily tasks that come with a life in rural Russia. Dolly invited Levin to her home because Kitty was also in the country and she wanted the two to have another opportunity to get together.

Answer: He was afraid of having a pistol pointed at him.

Karenin admitted he had never used a weapon before, and the thought of a having a pistol pointed at him terrified him. Also, Vronsky had been in the military, making the idea an impossibility.

Answer: He would not grant her a divorce.

Karenin was under the assumption that he could punish her by not granting a divorce, which Anna severely wanted. By not granting divorce, he would force Anna's relationship with Vronsky to be illegitimate. He figured that any attempt for Anna to get a divorce from him would cause a social uproar and issues with the church if he were to agree.

Answer: False

Vronsky was struggling with money issues, contrary to what many believed of him. His mother stopped sending him payments after she had quarreled with him, and so his income was nearly cut in half. However, he refused to ask her for any money, so lived a less than extravagant life.

Answer: Women getting in the way of his career

Serpukhovsky, who had been busy making a name for himself, warned Vronsky that taking a mistress would hinder his career if he wouldn't get rid of her. He mentioned a couple other officers who had ruined their lives in the military over women with which they had an affair. Vronsky didn't seem to take the comment to heart much.