Комментарии

Home assignments

Permalink Submitted by Anna Mishchenko on 13 April, 2026 - 13:24

Ex. 1. Choose the best answer (A, B, C, or D) for each question based on the text.

1. Who founded Saint Petersburg and in what year?

A) Catherine the Great in 1762

B) Ivan the Terrible in 1547

C) Peter the Great in 1703

D) Nicholas II in 1894

2. What was the main reason Tsar Peter the Great built Saint Petersburg?

A) To create a religious center

B) To modernize Russia and open it to the West

C) To move the capital away from Moscow

D) To build a military fortress

3. What did the land originally consist of where Peter the Great built the city?

A) Dense forests and mountains

B) A desert plain

C) A swampy, marshy delta

D) A rocky coastline

4. Which two main architectural styles are mentioned as giving the city its harmonious look?

A) Gothic and Renaissance

B) Baroque and Neoclassical

C) Modernist and Art Nouveau

D) Byzantine and Romanesque

5. What is the Winter Palace famous for housing today?

A) The Russian Parliament

B) The Hermitage Museum

C) The Mariinsky Theatre

D) The Peter and Paul Cathedral

6. Approximately how many items are in the Hermitage Museum’s collection?

A) Over 300,000

B) Over 1 million

C) Over 3 million

D) Over 10 million

7. What was the original purpose of the Peter and Paul Fortress?

A) A royal palace

B) A church

C) A military citadel

D) A university

8. The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built on the spot where which tsar was assassinated?

A) Peter the Great

B) Alexander I

C) Nicholas II

D) Alexander II

9. Why is Saint Petersburg sometimes called the "Venice of the North"?

A) Because of its many gondolas

B) Because of its large number of canals, rivers, and bridges

C) Because it is sinking into the sea

D) Because it was built by Italian architects

10. What is the spectacular nightly event that happens in summer when the main bridges over the Neva River rise up?

A) The Scarlet Sails

B) The Bridge Dance

C) The White Nights Festival

D) The Neva Parade

11. When do the White Nights occur in Saint Petersburg?

A) From late December to early January

B) From late May to mid-July

C) From September to October

D) Throughout March

12. What is the name of the famous festival for school graduates that takes place during the White Nights, featuring a ship with scarlet sails?

A) The Winter Palace Gala

B) The Hermitage Ball

C) The Scarlet Sails festival

D) The Neva Carnival

13. Which famous Russian writer set his novel Crime and Punishment in the gloomy courtyards and streets of Saint Petersburg?

A) Leo Tolstoy

B) Anton Chekhov

C) Fyodor Dostoevsky

D) Vladimir Nabokov

14. What is the name of the world-famous theatre in Saint Petersburg known for its ballet and opera?

A) The Bolshoi Theatre

B) The Mariinsky Theatre

C) The Alexandrinsky Theatre

D) The Hermitage Theatre

15. During World War I, the city's name was changed to Petrograd. What was it renamed in 1924 after Lenin's death?

A) Stalingrad

B) Peterstadt

C) Leningrad

D) Sovetsk

16. Approximately how many days did the Siege of Leningrad last during World War II?

A) 500 days

B) 600 days

C) 872 days

D) 1000 days

17. What was the "Road of Life" during the Siege of Leningrad?

A) A secret tunnel under the city

B) A supply route across the frozen Lake Ladoga

C) An evacuation route by sea

D) A propaganda newspaper

18. When did the city officially return to its original name, Saint Petersburg?

A) 1945

B) 1956

C) 1991

D) 2000

19. What is the name of the modern skyscraper and business district mentioned on the city’s outskirts?

A) The Moscow Towers

B) The Winter Palace Complex

C) The Lakhta Center

D) The Neva Heights

20. According to the conclusion, what does Saint Petersburg feel like to a visitor?

A) A city that is purely modern and fast-paced

B) A city you see and feel, a monument to human ambition and resilience

C) A quiet provincial town

D) A city that is easy to understand on the first visit

Ex. 2. Match the word on the left with its correct definition on the right.

Word Definition

1. swamp A. a large, impressive fortress or palace

2. majestic B. an area of wet, marshy land

3. citadel C. a person who is kept in a prison or place of confinement

4. façade D. having great beauty, dignity, or grandeur

5. inmate E. the front face of a building

6. besieged F. surrounded by enemy forces and cut off from supplies

Ex. 3. Read each statement and decide if it is True (T) or False (F) based on the text.

Saint Petersburg was the capital of the Russian Empire for over 300 years.
The city was built on a rocky coastline with good soil for construction.
The Hermitage Museum is located inside the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood is decorated with over 7,000 square meters of mosaics.
During the White Nights, the sun sets completely and the city experiences total darkness.
The Mariinsky Theatre is famous for its ballet and opera performances.
The city was renamed Leningrad after the death of Peter the Great.
The Siege of Leningrad lasted approximately two years.

Exercise 4. Complete each sentence with the correct word or phrase from the box.

Peter the Great canals Dostoevsky Hermitage Neva River Lakhta Center

The main bridges over the ____________________ open during the summer nights to let ships pass.
The Winter Palace now houses the ____________________ Museum, one of the largest in the world.
The city was founded in 1703 by ____________________, who wanted to open Russia to the West.
With over 800 bridges and 300 kilometers of ____________________, the city is called the "Venice of the North."
The writer ____________________ set his novel Crime and Punishment in the city's gloomy courtyards and streets.
On the city's outskirts, a modern business district called the ____________________ has appeared.

Exercise 5. Answer the following questions in 1–2 complete sentences.

Why is Saint Petersburg sometimes called the "Venice of the North"?
What are the "White Nights" and when do they occur?
What happened during the Siege of Leningrad, and approximately how many people died?
Name two famous landmarks mentioned in the text that are associated with Russian imperial history.

Exercise 6. Put the following historical events in the correct order from earliest (1) to latest (5).

A. The city is renamed Leningrad after Lenin's death. ___

B. The Siege of Leningrad takes place during World War II. ___

C. Peter the Great founds Saint Petersburg. ___

D. The city votes to return to its original name, Saint Petersburg. ___

E. Tsar Alexander II is assassinated on the spot where the Church on Spilled Blood is later built. ___

Primary tabs

Home assignments