Choose the correct verb

1) The Pacific Ocean … Russia in the east. (is, washes, is facing)

2) The Amur in the Far East … into the Pacific Ocean. (occupies, is, flows)

3) The economic situation in Russia …. (is complicated, has, was founded)

4) Russia … great past and promising future. (has, was, flows)

5) Our country … on fourteen countries. (occupies, borders, washes)

6) There … several mountain chains on the territory of Russia. (is, are, have)

7) The population of Russia … about 150 million people. (has, are, is)

8) The president … every four years by the people. (is situated, belongs, is elected)

Do you know Russia?

l. In which century was Christianity officially adopted in Russia?

a) eighth century

b) tenth century

c) eleventh century

d) twelfth century

2. In which year do the ancient chronicles first mention Moscow?

a) 1098

b) 1147

c) 1380

d) 1241

3. Which prince of Moscow defeated the Mongols in 1380?

a) Ivan Kalita

b) Yuri Dolgoruki

c) Dmitry Donskoy

d) Ivan IV (the Terrible)

4. When was the Romanov’s dynasty established?

a) in 1380 after the battle at Kulikovo field

b) in 1613 after the Time of Troubles

c) in 1812 after the defeat of Napoleon

d) in 1917 after the Revolution

5. St. Petersburg was founded in:

a) 1700

b) 1703

c) 1762

d) 1796

6. The founder of St. Petersburg was:

a) Ivan IV (the Terrible)

b) Peter the Great

c) Catherine the Great

d) Yuri Dolgoruki

7. Catherine II invited colonists from which country to settle in Russia in 1762?

a) France

b) Poland

c) Italy

d) Germany

8. Which emperor signed a manifesto abolishing serfdom in 1861?

a. Alexander I

b. Alexander II

c. Nicholas I

d. Nicholas II

9. The last Russian Emperor was:

a) Alexander II

b) Nicholas I

c) Nicholas II

d) Peter I

10. In 1812 there was a war between Russia and:

a) Finland

b) France

c) Sweden

d) Germany

11. Independence Day in Russia is celebrated in:

a) October

b) November

c) June

d) July

12. The Russian Head of State is:

a) Tsar

b) President

c) Prime Minister

d) Speaker

13. The Russian Coat of Arms has:

a) two-headed eagle

b) two crown

c) two crosses

d) three-headed eagle

14. The " Gold Ring of Russia" unites:

a) lakes

b) islands

c) the oldest towns and cathedrals

d) museums

15. Kizhi is situated in this lake:

a) Ladoga

b) Balhash

c) Onega

d) Ilmen

16. Valaam is:

a) a town

b) a museum

c) an island monestary

d) a cathedral

17. The State Hermitage is situated in:

a) Moscow

b) St. Petersburg

c) Suzdal

d) Tobolsk

18. The Diamond Room is situated in:

a) Moscow Kremlin

b) Peterhof

c) Novgorod Kremlin

d) Museum of Fine Arts

19. This famous painter lived in Russia:

a) Turner

b) Kuindzhi

c) Constable

d) Renoir

20. M.P. Mussorgsky was:

a) a scientist

b) a painter

c) a composer

d) a poet

21. The greatest Russian scientist was:

a) Dmitry Mendeleev

b) Mikhail Lomonosov

c) Ivan Pavlov

d) Climent Timiryazev

22. The first man in space was:

a) Titov

b) Gagarin

c) Leonov

d) Armstrong

23. The biggest freshwater lake is:

a) Baikal

b) Sivash

c) Ilmen

d) Ladoga

24. Sakhalin is washed by the:

a) Pacific Ocean

c) Atlantic Ocean

b) Indian Ocean

d) Arctic Ocean

25. The highest Russian mountain is situated in:

a) the Caucasus

b) the Urals

c) Tibet

d) Altai

26. This city can be found on modern maps of Russia:

a) Leningrad

b) Gorky

c) Yekaterinburg

d) Kiev

27. The city-host of the 22 Olympic Games was:

a) Barcelona

b) Moscow

c) Athens

d) Berlin

28. Ivanovo is the centre of this industry:

a) steel

b) automobiles

c) textiles

d) chemical

29. Kaliningrad is situated in the:

a) West

b) North

c) South

d) East

30. The nearest Russian neighbour in the Far East is:

a) Korea

b) Japan

c) Mongolia

d) Finland

31. The Russian national costume is the:

a) skirt

b) coat

c) sarafan

d) kilt

32. There are a lot of museum collections in Moscow and St. Petersburg. When were they founded:

1) The Tretyakov Gallery

2) Russian Museum

3) The Hermitage

4) Fine Arts Museum

a) 1852

b) 1912

c) 1895

d) 1856

33. A lot of famous Russian artists took pleasure in painting great writers and poets. Match the painter and the poet.

1) Tolstoy

2) Pushkin

3) Radishchev

4) Griboyedov

a) Kiprensky

b) Repin

c) Kramskoy

d) Loktionov

34. Check your knowledge of Pushkin’s poetry. Try to remember who wrote the music on Pushkin’s poems and match the poem and the composer.

1)”Ruslan and Lyudmila“

2)”Evgeny Onegin“

3)”Mazepa“

4)”Boris Godunov“

5)”Aleko“

6)”Zolotoy Petushok“

a) Tchaikovsky

b) Rimsky-Korsakov

c) Glinka

d) Rachmaninov

e) Mussorgsky

Key: 1 b); 2 b); 3 c); 4 b); 5 b); 6 b); 7 d); 8 b); 9 c); 10 b); 11 c); 12 b); 13 a); 14 c); 15 c); 16 c); 17 b); 18 a); 19 b); 20 c); 21 b); 22 b); 23 a); 24 a); 25 a); 26 c); 27 b); 28 с); 29 a); 30 a); 31 c); 32 – 1 a), 2 b), 3 c), 4 d); 33 – 1 b), 2 a), 3 d), 4 c); 34 – 1 c), 2 a), 3 a), 4 e), 5 d), 6 b).