Q 01/05

What was the name of the family estate where Tolstoy was born and spent most of his life?

A) Tsarskoye Selo

B) Yasnaya Polyana

C) Spasskoye

D) Melikhovo

Answer · why

B) Yasnaya Polyana

It lies 200 kilometres south of Moscow and is now a museum run by his great-great-grandson Vladimir.

Q 02/05

What aristocratic title did Tolstoy hold?

A) Duke

B) Prince

C) Count

D) Baron

Answer · why

C) Count

His mother was a princess, née Volkonskaya; the family title was granted by Peter the Great.

Q 03/05

How old was Tolstoy when his mother died?

A) Fourteen

B) Two

C) Five

D) Nine

Answer · why

B) Two

His father died when he was nine, and he and his siblings were raised by relatives.

Q 04/05

How did teachers at Kazan University describe the young Tolstoy?

A) 'Idle but charming'

B) 'Both unable and unwilling to learn'

C) 'The best mind of his year'

D) 'A genius without discipline'

Answer · why

B) 'Both unable and unwilling to learn'

He was studying law and oriental languages, and left before finishing.

Q 05/05

Why did Tolstoy go to the Caucasus with his brother and join the army in 1851?

A) He was conscripted

B) He wanted to write a war novel

C) He had run up heavy gambling debts

D) He was fleeing a duel

Answer · why

C) He had run up heavy gambling debts

He served as an artillery officer and was promoted to lieutenant for courage in the Crimean War.