B2: Anton Chekhov's Story Kashtanka
Below is a B2 level English reading task about the Russian dog named Kashtanka. Good luck and enjoy!
Kashtanka
"Kashtanka" is a short story by Anton Chekhov about a mixed-breed dog named Kashtanka who gets separated from her abusive master, a drunken carpenter. She is found by a kindly circus clown, Ivan Ivanovich, who gives her a new home and teaches her to perform tricks with his other animal performers: a goose, a cat, and a pig. During her debut performance at the circus, Kashtanka's former family attends, and she must decide whether to stay with the clown or return to her old life
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The Story's Plot:
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The Separation
Kashtanka, a reddish, fox-like mongrel, is lost when she flees from a military band during a walk with her rough master, a carpenter
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The New Home
A kind stranger, a circus clown named Ivan Ivanovich, finds the desperate and hungry dog, names her Kashtanka, and takes her to his home
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Life in the Circus
In the clown's home, Kashtanka lives with other animal performers and is trained to be part of their act. Her new life is filled with warmth and food, a stark contrast to her previous life
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The Choice
During her first performance, the carpenter and his son appear in the audience. Kashtanka recognizes them and must make a choice between her new, stable life with the clown or her old, familiar life with her former masters
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Themes & Meanings
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Loyalty & Love
he story explores the complex nature of a dog's loyalty and love, questioning if it is directed towards the person or the place
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Human & Animal Bond
It highlights the deep bond that can exist between humans and animals, and the challenges of understanding each other's world
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Choice & Destiny
Kashtanka's decision ultimately shows the enduring power of early connections and the longing for a familiar past, even when a new life offers kindness and comfort
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About the Author: Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer considered one of the greatest writers of all time. Though a physician by profession, he wrote to support his family while developing a unique literary style that captured the nuances of human emotion and provincial life. His work was a major influence on the development of modernism in both literature and theater.
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A brief summary of the Life of Anton Chekhov
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Early life and education: Born into poverty in Taganrog, Russia, Chekhov was the son of a former serf. After his father's bankruptcy, he supported his family while studying medicine at Moscow University,
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Dual career: Chekhov practiced medicine for most of his life, often stating, "Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress". His work as a doctor exposed him to a wide variety of human experiences, which informed his writing.
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Transition to serious writing: He began his career by writing humorous sketches for financial gain. However, encouraged by fellow writers, he began to focus on his artistic ambition and transitioned to more serious fiction, gaining acclaim for his short stories
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Later life and death: In 1897, Chekhov was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He spent his final years in the Crimea, where he wrote some of his most famous works before dying in 1904 at the age of 44.
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Writing Style
Chekhov's style is often characterized by its realism, psychological depth, and use of subtext
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Deceptively simple: His prose is known for its brevity and lack of melodrama. He favored clear, unpretentious language to capture complex emotional realities
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Focus on mood: In his plays, he created a "theater of mood," emphasizing atmosphere and the inner lives of his characters over conventional action and plot
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"Chekhov's Gun": He is famously associated with this principle of foreshadowing, which dictates that every element in a story or play must be necessary and relevant. If a gun is shown in the first act, it must be fired by the final act.
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Open endings: Chekhov believed it was a writer's job to ask questions, not to answer them. As a result, many of his short stories have open, unresolved endings
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Notable Works
Plays:
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The Seagull (1896): A symbolic play about unrequited love and the destructive clash of artistic egos
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Uncle Vanya (1899): Explores themes of unhappiness and frustrated lives in a provincial estate
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Three Sisters (1901): Depicts the lives of three sisters in a small town who long to return to Moscow
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The Cherry Orchard (1904): His final play, a tragicomedy about an aristocratic family's inability to adapt to social change, leading to the sale of their estate
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Short Stories & Novelas:
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"The Lady with the Dog" (1899): Explores a doomed affair between a married man and woman
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"The Steppe" (1888): An autobiographical work detailing a boy's journey across the steppe
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"Ward Number Six" (1892): Set in a provincial insane asylum, it examines themes of sanity and confinement
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"The Bet" (1889): Focuses on a bet between a banker and a young lawyer over whether life imprisonment is preferable to the death penalty
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Quiz 1
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1 - "Kashtanka" is a short story by Anton Chekhov about a mixed-breed dog named Kashtanka who gets separated from her abusive master, a drunken __________.
a. Construction Worker
b. Plumber
c. Artist
d. Carpenter
e. Politician
f. Author
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2 -She is found by a kindly circus clown, Ivan Ivanovich, who gives her a new home and teaches her to perform tricks with his other animal performers: __________.
a. a duck, a cat, a cow
b. a ram, a rat, a bird
c. a mongoose, a bat, a goat
d. a goose, a cat, a pig
e. a beaver, a hen, a hog
f. None of the above
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3 - During her __________ performance at the circus, Kashtanka's former family attends
a. First
b. Second
c. Third
d. Fourth
e. Fifth
f. Sixth
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4 - Kashtanka, a brownish, fox-like mongrel
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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5 - A kind stranger, a circus clown named __________, finds the desperate and hungry dog, names her Kashtanka, and takes her to his home
a. Ivan Federov
b. Ivan Pavlov
c. Ivan Kolev
d. Ivan Meštrović
e. Ivan Aivazovsky
f. Ivan Ivanovich
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6 - Which Themes and Meanings were NOT mentioned
a. Love
b. Shame
c. Destiny
d. Revenge
e. Jealousy
f. Loyalty
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7 - Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer considered one of the greatest writers of all time. Though a __________ by profession
a. Physicist
b. Engineer
c. Physician
d. Politician
e. Surveyor
f. Aviator
8 - His work was a major influence on the development of modernism in both literature and __________.
a. Ballet
b. Music Compositions
c. Theater
d. Contortion
e. Poetry
f. Art
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9 - Born into poverty in __________, Russia
a. Moscow
b. Taganrog
c. St. Petersburg
d. Kyiv
e. Omsk
f. Tomsk
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10 - Chekhov was the son of a former serf.
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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11 - Chekhov supported his family while studying medicine at __________ University,
a. Kyiv
b. Minsk
c. Chișinău ​
d. Moscow
e. Astana
f. ​Pristina
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12 - Chekhov practiced medicine for most of his life, often stating, "Literature is my lawful wife, and medicine is my mistress".
a, True
b, False
c, Does not say
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13 - He began his career by writing humorous sketches for financial gain.
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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14 - In 1899, Chekhov was diagnosed with cancer.
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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15 - He spent his final years in the Minsk, where he wrote some of his most famous works before dying in 1903 at the age of 43.
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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Bonus Questions about his Writing Style:
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​16 - Chekhov's style is often characterized by its surrealism, sociological depth, and use of subtext
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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17 - Chekhov favored clear, unpretentious language to capture complex emotional realities
a. True
b. False
c. ​Does not say
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18 - Known as Chekhov's Gun is a principle that If a gun is shown in the first act, it must be fired by the final act.
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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19 - Chekhov believed it was a writer's job to answer questions, not to ask them.
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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20 - Chekhov wrote a play called "The Lady with the Dog" (1899).
a. True
b. False
c. Does not say
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Quiz 1: Answer Key
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1 - d. Carpenter
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2 - d. a goose, a cat, a pig
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3 - a. First (Debut)
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4 - b. ----> False ---> Kashtanka, a reddish, fox-like mongrel
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5 - f. Ivan Ivanovich
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6 - b, d, e ---> Shame, Revenge, Jealousy
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7 - c ---> Physician
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8 - c ---> Theater
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9 - b ---> Taganrog
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10 - a ---> True
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11 - d ---> Moscow
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12 - b ---> False ---> Chekhov practiced medicine for most of his life, often stating, "Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress".
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13 - a ---> True
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14 - b ---> False ---> In 1897, Chekhov was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
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15 - b ---> False ---> He spent his final years in the Crimea, where he wrote some of his most famous works before dying in 1904 at the age of 44.
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Bonus Answers about his Writing Style:
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16 -b. ---> False ---> Chekhov's style is often characterized by its realism, psychological depth, and use of subtext
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17 - a ---> True
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18 - a ---> True
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19 - b ---> False ---> Chekhov believed it was a writer's job to ask questions, not to answer them.
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20 - a ---> True
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External Links:
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https://web.english.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Chekhov_Kashtanka.pdf
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​https://en.wikisum.org/wiki/Kashtanka_(Chekhov)
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