Question

from crime and punishment by fyodor dostoevsky background: published in 1866, crime and punishment follows rodion romanovich raskolnikov, a former law student living in st. petersburg. raskolnikov experiences extreme poverty and is frustrated with his situation. in this excerpt, raskolnikov is awakened in his small rented room by nastasya, who works for his landlady. 1 he waked up late next day after a broken sleep. but his sleep had not refreshed him; he waked up bilious, irritable, ill-tempered, and looked with hatred at his room. it was a tiny cupboard of a room about six paces in length. it had a poverty-stricken appearance with its dusty yellow paper hanging off the walls, and it was so low-pitched that a man of more than average height was ill at ease in it and felt every moment that he would hit his head against the ceiling. the furniture was in keeping with the room: there were three old chairs, rather rickety; a painted table in the corner which lay a few manuscripts and books; the dust that lay thick on them showed that they had been long untouched. a big clumsy sofa, almost the whole of one wall and half the floor space of the room; once covered with chintz, but was now in rags and served him as a bed. often he went to sleep on it, as he was, without undressing, without sheets, wrapped in his old student’s overcoat, with his little pillow, under which he heaped up all the linen he had, dirty, by way of a bolster. a little table stood in front of the sofa. how does the description of the room in paragraph 1 help develop a central idea in the passage? a. it shows that raskolnikov is too proud to accept help from others. b. it reveals that raskolnikov is ashamed of his former life as a student. c. it suggests that raskolnikov’s poverty is temporary and not a serious problem. d. it mirrors raskolnikov’s inner disorder and growing isolation from others.

Explanation:

To determine the answer, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The passage describes the room's poverty - stricken state but doesn't indicate Raskolnikov's pride in not accepting help.
• Option B: There is no mention of Raskolnikov being ashamed of his former life as a student.
• Option C: The description of the room (tiny, poverty - stricken, dusty, with old furniture) shows his poverty, but the key is the connection to his inner state. The room's disorder (dusty, ragged covering, old furniture) mirrors his inner disorder and isolation. The description of the room as a "poverty - stricken appearance" and the details of the space (low - pitched, cramped) reflect his mental and social isolation. So Option D is more accurate as it links the physical room description to his inner state.
• Option D: The room's description (tiny, dusty, with old, rickety furniture, covered in rags) reflects a sense of disorder and isolation. The cramped space, the dust, and the old, unused furniture can be seen as a mirror of Raskolnikov's inner turmoil and his growing isolation from others. This is a common literary device where the setting reflects the character's state.

Answer:

D. It mirrors Raskolnikov's inner disorder and growing isolation from others.