FLRU 2520 Russia Today

Zita Dabars. The Russian Way. Study Guide

5. Attractig Someone's Attention
  1. What are the Russian terms for addressing people?
  2. What are the terms for attracting the attention of a salelsperson?
6. Babushka
  1. What does babushka refer to?
  2. What is her role in the family?
  3. What is her social role?
7. Ballet and the Russian Theater
  1. What's the name of the theater in Moscow where you can see ballet?
  2. Can you name one Russian ballet?
  3. How do Russians exoress pleasure about a performance?
  4. How do they express displeasure?
9. Bribery and Blat, "Pull"
  1. What is the proverb that describes the Russian attitude toward bribing?
  2. When are some typical instances when one is expected to offer a bribe to get something done?
  3. What is the meaning of "blat"?
  4. List some examples when Russian's use "blat"
  5. What's the difference between bribery and blat?
11. Celebations and Holidays
  1. What is the most significant Russian church holiday?
  2. What are some typical Easter foods?
  3. How specifically is Easter celebrated in the church
  4. How do Russian greet each other on Easter Day? And what is the reply?
  5. When is Russian Orthodox Christmas?
  6. Who is the Russian equivalent of Santa Claus? Who accompanies him at Christmas parties?
15. Compliments
  1. What is the Russian word for complementing someone?
  2. How do Russians and Americans react differently when complimented?
16. Crafts
  1. What is the city of Palekh famous for?
  2. What is a matryoshka?
18. Dating, Marriage, and Divorce
  1. When do Russians normally start dating?
  2. What is the English meaning of the Russian word for dating?
  3. Where would they normally go on a date?
  4. What is "the street of strolling"?
  5. At what age do Russians normally marry?
  6. Where did Russians get married before the 1990s?
  7. Where does the couple normally go immediately after the wedding ceremony?
  8. When the guests shout "gorko", what is the couple supposed to do?
  9. What are some of the main reasons for the high rate of divorce among Russians?
20. Education and Upbringing
  1. When does school start in Russia?
  2. Until what age is school compulsory in Russia?
  3. What are some recent changes in secondary education in Russia?
  4. How do Russian children feel about cheating?
  5. When do Russian students choose a profession?
  6. How many years does it take to graduate from a university or institute?
21. Family
  1. Why do Russians tend to prefer to live in extended families and in close proximity to other family members?
  2. What are he Russian terms for family members?
26. Gestures
  1. How do Americans and Russians compare in their use of gestures?
  2. What gesture do Russians use to suggest "let's have a drink"?
27. Gifts
  1. What's likely to happen if you complement a Russian on sime item?
  2. Other than on birthdays, when do Russians like to give gifts?
  3. On what occassions do they give most generous presents?
  4. As a foreigner visiting a Russian family, what are some appropriate presents you should bring to your hosts?
  5. When do Russian open gifts? Why?
  6. How are Russians likely to react when given a gift?
28. Greetings, Salutations, and Leavetakings
  1. How do you greet someone in Russian?
  2. How do you greet someone with a particular time of the day?
  3. How do Russians greet each other differently from Americans?
  4. What is the most frequent way to say "farewell"?
  5. How do Russians leave a social gathering differently from Americans?
34. The Intelligentsia
  1. To what group of people did the word intelligentsia refer in the nineteenth century?
  2. What did the Bolsheviks think of them?
  3. What did Stalin think of them?
  4. What kinds of priviledges did they receive?
  5. What was the status of the intelligentsia after the demise of the Soviet Union?
42. Uncultured
  1. What are some specific examples of what Russians consider unacceptable behavior that might not be considered as such in America?
43. Patronymics
  1. How do Russians address each other formally?
  2. How does a Russian form a patronymic for a man and for a woman?
45. People's Names and Name Days
  1. According to the census of 2000, what are some typical popular Russian male and female first names?
  2. How can you usually tell the gender of a person by the first name?
  3. How do some devout Russian Orthodox select a name for a child?
  4. What is person's "name day"?
46. Physical Distance and Contact
  1. What are the views of Russians and Americans regarding physical distance when speaking with someone?
  2. What are some other examples of physical contact among Russians?
  3. How do Russians greet an acquaintance that they have not seen for a while?
  4. What does a Russian mean when he/she says that the building you are looking for is only a "5 minute walk from here"?
47. Politics and Parties
  1. When did the rule of the Russian Communist party end?
  2. What is Gorbachev's contribution to the Russian political system?
  3. What role did the "Popular Fronts" play?
  4. When did the first contested elections in the Soviet Union take place?
  5. When was the Soviet Union officially desolved?
  6. What are the three main groups of political parties in Russia?
  7. What is the political and economic ideology of the current communists?
  8. What is the political and economic ideology of the nationalists?
  9. What is the ideology of the democratically oriented parties?
  10. Describe the reorganization of the upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, that Putin's Unity Party instituted. What was the main purpose of the reorganization?
  11. What do Russian's think of Putin? Why do some like him? Why don't some like him?
49. Punctuality
  1. How do Russians view punctuality differently from us?
  2. What about deadlines?
  3. If a Russian invited you to dinner at 6, when should you actually show up and NOT show up?
50. Religion
  1. Historically, what has been the relationship between the Russian church and the state?
  2. How did the role of the church change in the 1990s?
  3. In what religions did Russian search for new sources of moral and spiritual guidance?
  4. What's Billy Graham's contribution to the spread of religion in Russia?
  5. What is the view of the Russian Orthodox church to the work of missionaries in Russia?
  6. What are the rough percentages of Russian Orthodox, Catholic, Muslim, Protestant, and Jewish believers in Russia?
51. The Russian Language
  1. To which family of languages does Russian belong?
  2. Who were Sts. Cyril and Methodius
  3. Memorize the pronunciation of the Russian letters.
  4. What is the approximate number of speakers of Russian?
  5. What's the reason that Russian is also spoken in some areas of Alaska?
52. Russian Nationality and Citizenship
  1. How is nationality determined in Russia?
  2. Nationality and discrimination.
  3. Nationality and nationalism.
53. The Russian Soul
  1. Mysteriousness of the Russian soul.
  2. Contradictions of the Russian soul.
  3. How is Dmitri Karamazov in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov illustrative of the Russian soul?
  4. How has Russia's geography contributed to the develpment of the Russian character?
  5. Love for wide open spaces.
  6. Dependence on each other.
  7. Russian generocity and kindness.
  8. The use of dimiminutives as a linguistic expression of Russian kindness.
63. Superstitions
  1. What should you do before leaving for a trip?
  2. What are some superstitions associated with a new baby?
  3. What might happen if salt is spilled on the table?
  4. What might happen if a bird flies into a room?
  5. What mighthappen if your left palm itches?
  6. What might happen if you drop a spoon or a fork?
66. Television and Radio
  1. How many dominant television stations are there in Russia?
  2. What are some game and their American equivalents that you can see on Russian television?
  3. From where do Russians import their soap operas?
  4. What's the best radio station in Moscow?