Question

Select the correct answer.

Answer 1

From these excerpts from Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the important fact that is brought out in this use of repetition is, C. Ivan Ilyich recognizes and hates the false propriety in Praskovya Fedorovna, a false nature that he himself once had. So it does not mean he really hates his wife, but rather the fact that she is having such good manners when he feels he could actually die. He himself also once had this kind of proper politeness, and now that he is ill he feels is not true.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B. Praskovya Fedorovna is portrayed by Tolstoi as the unsympathetic wife of Ivan Illyich. This woman is seen as a person who does not care about her husband. She is an egocentric person and only seeks for her own good; she does not think about the wellness of her dying husband, so Ivan knows that she acts in an agreeable way only because she is happy to know that he is dying, so she won’t have to keep sharing her life with him. This is the main reason why Ivan hates her and that is why Tolstoi keeps repeating the feeling that he has for her.  

Answer A is not correct because the marriage gave Ivan a sort of personal satisfaction plus he considered that this was the best decision to make; thus, he does not regret his decision, even though knew he was never in love with Praskovya. Nevertheless, he is okay with the fact that both of them do not share the same points of view although he really hates her wife.

Answer C is not correct because Ivan never had a propriety although, at some point, he has some reflections about the way in which he is living his life and how things changed for him. Nonetheless, he never had this kind of principles nor Praskovya.

Answer D is not correct because, actually ,Praskovya does not care about him and she is only acting agreeable with him because he is dying, so the fact that Ivan hates her does not have anything to do with his ignorance about the situation.