1. Classic lines
Four famous lines from nineteenth-century literature. Read each one, then answer the question about how it works. Literature guide →
2. Idioms, irony and wordplay
What is really being said? Each line works through irony, a pun or a set phrase. Idioms guide →
3. Fast and regional speech
Spoken Russian shortens words, and Moscow and St Petersburg disagree on a few everyday ones. Choose what the speaker means.
4. Choosing by nuance
Russian often has three words for one idea: a high, bookish one, a neutral one and a casual one. Pick the word whose tone fits the sentence. Register guide →
- A love poem Её _____ сия́ли, как звёзды. Her eyes shone like stars.
- A police report Подозрева́емый _____ , что ничего́ не ви́дел. The suspect stated that he saw nothing.
- Teasing a friend Ну и _____ у тебя́ с утра́! What a face you’ve got this morning!
- An icon in a church Свято́й _____ смотре́л с ико́ны. The saint’s face looked down from the icon.
5. Editing for style
Russian editors fight канцеляри́т (kan-tse-lya-REET): heavy officialese full of abstract nouns. Choose the version a good writer would publish.
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