Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL / ТРКИ) — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'Новый год' and how is it celebrated in Russia?
- New Year's, the biggest secular holiday celebrated with gifts and family gatherings (Correct answer)
- Orthodox Christmas on January 7th
- Victory Day, celebrating WWII victory
- Easter, the most important religious holiday
Correct answer: New Year's, the biggest secular holiday celebrated with gifts and family gatherings
Новый год (New Year) is the biggest holiday in Russia, involving decorated trees, gift-giving by Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost), fireworks, and family feasts.
Question 2: What does 'деньги' (dengi) mean?
- Days
- Money (Correct answer)
- People
- Things
Correct answer: Money
'Деньги' is the Russian word for money and is always used in the plural form.
Question 3: Which season does 'лето' (leto) refer to?
- Spring
- Autumn
- Summer (Correct answer)
- Winter
Correct answer: Summer
'Лето' (leto) means 'summer' in Russian, the warmest season of the year.
Question 4: How many letters are in the Russian (Cyrillic) alphabet?
- 30
- 36
- 26
- 33 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 33
The modern Russian Cyrillic alphabet has 33 letters.
Question 5: In Russian, what case do nouns take after numbers 5 and above?
- Accusative plural
- Genitive plural (Correct answer)
- Nominative plural
- Dative plural
Correct answer: Genitive plural
After numbers 5 and above in Russian, the following noun takes the genitive plural case.
Question 6: What is the cultural significance of sunflowers (подсолнухи) in Russia?
- They are considered unlucky and avoided
- They are used exclusively for religious ceremonies
- They represent mourning at funerals
- They are a major agricultural crop and a beloved national symbol of joy and abundance (Correct answer)
Correct answer: They are a major agricultural crop and a beloved national symbol of joy and abundance
Russia is one of the world's largest producers of sunflowers, and the sunflower is culturally associated with warmth, happiness, and the vast Russian steppe landscapes.
Question 7: What sound does the Russian letter 'Щ' make?
- ch (as in 'chair')
- shch (a long soft 'sh') (Correct answer)
- zh (as in 'measure')
- sh (as in 'shoe')
Correct answer: shch (a long soft 'sh')
Щ (Shcha) represents a long, soft 'shch' sound, similar to saying 'fresh cheese' quickly.
Question 8: What case does a noun take after the numbers 2, 3, and 4 in Russian?
- Accusative singular
- Genitive plural
- Nominative singular
- Genitive singular (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Genitive singular
After 2, 3, and 4 in Russian, the following noun takes the genitive singular case (e.g., два стола — two tables).
Question 9: How do you say 'yes' and 'no' in Russian?
- Да / Нет (Correct answer)
- Си / Но
- Йа / Ни
- Нет / Да
Correct answer: Да / Нет
'Да' means yes and 'Нет' means no — the two most essential Russian words.
Question 10: What does 'Который час?' mean in English?
- What time is it? (Correct answer)
- What day is it?
- What is the date?
- What year is it?
Correct answer: What time is it?
'Который час?' (Kotoryy chas?) is the standard Russian way to ask what time it is.
Question 11: What does "Good day" mean in Russian?
- Dobraye ootro
- Dobri dyen (Correct answer)
- Spokoynay nochee
- Dobri vyechyer
Correct answer: Dobri dyen
"Dobri dyen" (Добрый день) is the standard Russian greeting for "Good day." It is a versatile phrase used throughout the daytime hours, from late morning to early evening. This greeting is polite and appropriate for most formal and informal interactions during the day.
Question 12: What does 'время' (vremya) mean?
- money
- place
- weather
- time (Correct answer)
Correct answer: time
'Время' means 'time' in Russian.
Question 13: What does the number 'nol' stand for?
- nine
- one
- fourteen
- zero (Correct answer)
Correct answer: zero
The Russian word 'ноль' (nol') directly translates to the number zero in English. It is used in the same context as 'zero' for counting, mathematical operations, and indicating the absence of quantity. This makes 'zero' the correct numerical value.
Question 14: What number is the word "dye-sit" (pronounced "dee-yeh-sets")?
- ten (Correct answer)
- four hundred and sixty three
- nine
- three
Correct answer: ten
The Russian word for the number ten is 'десять' (desyat'). The pronunciation 'dee-yeh-sets' is a phonetic representation of how this word is spoken. Therefore, 'ten' is the correct number corresponding to this pronunciation.
Question 15: Which of these is a Russian informal greeting?
- Preevet (Correct answer)
- Do Svidaniya
- Spasibo
- Zdravstvuite
Correct answer: Preevet
Привет (Privet) is the common informal greeting in Russian, equivalent to 'Hi' or 'Hello' in English. It is used among friends, family, and people of similar age or status, contrasting with the more formal Здравствуйте (Zdravstvuite).
Question 16: Which Russian vowel letter corresponds to the 'yu' sound?
- Ю (Correct answer)
- Ё
- Е
- Я
Correct answer: Ю
Ю (Yu) is pronounced like the 'yu' in 'you' or 'yu' in 'universe'.
Question 17: What case does a noun take when it follows the number 'один' (one) in Russian?
- Accusative plural
- Genitive singular
- Genitive plural
- Nominative singular (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Nominative singular
After один (one), the noun takes the nominative singular, the same as its base dictionary form.
Question 18: What does 'вечер' (vecher) mean in English?
- Morning
- Night
- Noon
- Evening (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Evening
'Вечер' (vecher) means 'evening' in Russian, the part of the day after sunset.
Question 19: Which pair of Russian letters are called the 'hard sign' and 'soft sign'?
- Ъ and Ь (Correct answer)
- Ы and И
- Э and Е
- Ю and Я
Correct answer: Ъ and Ь
Ъ is the hard sign (tvyordy znak) and Ь is the soft sign (myagky znak); neither is independently pronounced.
Question 20: How do you ask 'What time is it?' in Russian?
- Когда это будет?
- Сколько стоит?
- Который час? (Correct answer)
- Как давно?
Correct answer: Который час?
Который час? literally means 'which hour?' and is the standard way to ask the time in Russian.
Question 21: Which Russian word means 'street'?
- Площадь
- Улица (Correct answer)
- Переулок
- Проспект
Correct answer: Улица
'Улица' (ulitsa) is the standard Russian word for street, seen on road signs throughout Russia.
Question 22: What is the traditional Russian greeting bread-and-salt ceremony called?
- Масленица
- Иван Купала
- Сабантуй
- Хлеб-соль (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Хлеб-соль
Хлеб-соль (bread and salt) is the traditional Russian ceremony of welcoming honored guests with a loaf of bread and a dish of salt.
Question 23: How do you say 'Thursday' in Russian?
- Среда (Sreda)
- Пятница (Pyatnitsa)
- Четверг (Chetverg) (Correct answer)
- Вторник (Vtornik)
Correct answer: Четверг (Chetverg)
'Четверг' (Chetverg) is the Russian word for Thursday, the fourth day of the work week.
Question 24: How do you say 'school' in Russian?
- университет
- школа (Correct answer)
- библиотека
- больница
Correct answer: школа
'Школа' (shkola) means 'school' in Russian.
Question 25: How do you say 'quarter to' (15 minutes before the hour) in Russian?
- Без четверти (bez chetverti) (Correct answer)
- Ровно (rovno)
- Половина (polovina)
- После (posle)
Correct answer: Без четверти (bez chetverti)
'Без четверти' (bez chetverti) means 'quarter to' and is used for times like 'без четверти два' (quarter to two).
Question 26: Which word means 'beautiful' or 'pretty' in Russian?
- Красивый (Correct answer)
- Добрый
- Интересный
- Умный
Correct answer: Красивый
'Красивый' (krasiviy) means beautiful and shares a root with 'красный' (red), historically linked to beauty.
Question 27: Which Russian letter represents the 'ts' sound as in 'cats'?
- Ч
- Ц (Correct answer)
- С
- З
Correct answer: Ц
The Russian letter Ц (Tse) represents the 'ts' combination sound, as heard in the English word 'cats'.
Question 28: How do you say 'friend' in Russian?
- враг
- брат
- сосед
- друг (Correct answer)
Correct answer: друг
'Друг' (drug) means 'friend' in Russian.
Question 29: How do you say 'I am a student' in Russian?
- Я студент (Correct answer)
- Я врач
- Я работник
- Я учитель
Correct answer: Я студент
'Я студент' means 'I am a (male) student'; females say 'Я студентка'.
Question 30: What sound does the Russian letter 'Ж' represent?
- sh (like 'shoe')
- z (like 'zoo')
- zh (like 'measure') (Correct answer)
- j (like 'jump')
Correct answer: zh (like 'measure')
The Russian letter Ж (Zhe) is pronounced like the 'zh' sound in the English word 'measure' or 'genre'.
Test of Russian as a Foreign Language (TORFL / ТРКИ)
The TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language) is the official Russian state certification that assesses proficiency across five competencies: vocabulary/grammar, reading, listening, writing, and speaking, aligned to CEFR levels A1–C2.
Exam Rules
- You can skip questions and return to them later
- Flag questions for review before submitting
- No feedback shown until you submit the entire exam
- Unanswered questions count as wrong — answer everything
- 10 pretest questions are mixed in and don't affect your score
- Timer auto-submits when time runs out
- Your progress is auto-saved every 30 seconds