Entrance Examinations (NMgr.) – Russian Language and Literature

Applicants will be asked a total of three questions: 1) a question testing their command of Russian (a minimum of level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages), 2) a question testing their knowledge of the linguistic system of contemporary Russian, 3) a question testing their knowledge of Russian literature and culture. All questions will be based on a reading list which the applicant must present at the oral entrance examination and which should include not only selected works from our recommended reading list, but also other publications (non-fiction and fiction) of the applicant’s choice related to the given sets of topics.

Sample questions for the oral entrance examination:

Russian (at least level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages):

1. Geopolitics of Russia. – Геополитика России.
2. Important cultural centres in Russia. – Важные культурные центры России.
3. Important economic centres in Russia. – Важные экономические центры России.
4. Main public and religious holidays. – Главные государственные и религиозные праздники России.
5. Traditions – both old and contemporary.– Традиции – старые и новые.
6. National cuisine – does it even exist? – Национальная кухня, существует ли она еще?
7. Education system in Russia. Система образования в России.
8. The philosophy of consumer society. – Философия общества потребления.
9. Diseases of affluence. Цивилизационные болезни.
10. Social issues in Russia – Социальные проблемы – какие они в России?
11. Standard of living – contrasts. Уровень жизни – контрасты.
12. Modern family – current trends. Современная семья – тенденции развития.
13. Modern communication: Do we really see each other in person? Современное общение: встречаемся ли мы вообще?
14. Is talent the key to success?– Талант – это путь к успеху?
15. Problems in modern sport. – Проблемы современного спорта.

Linguistic system of contemporary Russian:

1. Stressed vowels (phonetics, phonology).
2. Reduction of unstressed vowels (phonetics, phonology).
3. Consonants: voiced and voiceless consonants.
4. Consonants: hard and soft consonants.
5. Consonants: sibilants (phonetics, phonology).
6. Paradigms of Russian nouns.
7. Grammatical gender and declensions of nouns.
8. Suffixes of Russian nouns.
9. Stem alternations in Russian nouns.
10. Paradigms of Russian adjectives.
11. Short forms of adjectives.
12. Comparative and superlative adjectives.
13. Paradigms of Russian verbs.
14. Stem alternations in Russian verbs.
15. Grammatical categories of Russian verbs and their forms.
16. Synthetic and periphrastic verb forms.
17. Non-finite verb forms in Russian.
18. Clause elements and their forms.
19. Subject in Russian.
20. Predicate in Russian.
21. Object in Russian.
22. Attribute in Russian.
23. Complement in Russian.
24. Syntactic functions of participles.
25. Syntactic functions of the transgressives.
26. Syntactic functions of infinitives.
27. Subordinate clauses.
28. Linguistic sign, grammar and vocabulary.
29. Lexical relations and lexical field.
30. Word-formation in Russian.

Russian literature and culture

1. Themes and genres of early Russian literature.
2. Key authors of Kievan Rus’.
3. Key authors of Muscovite Russia.
4. Literature and culture during the reign of Peter the Great.
5. Classicism in Russian literature.
6. Sentimentalism in Russian literature.
7. Russian poetry of the 19^th century.
8. Russian drama of the 19^th century.
9. The Russian realist novel.
10. Literature and culture at the turn of the 20^th century. Changes in genres and forms, new themes, poetic language, and narrative techniques.
11. The first and the second generations of Russian symbolism.
12. Characteristics of Acmeism.
13. Russian avant-garde movements. The poetics of Cubo-Futurism. “Zaum”.
14. Social realism. Ideological norms and measures in literature and culture.
15. The portrayal of the Russian revolution in literature and culture. Russian utopias and dystopias.
16. Literature between the two world wars – basic trends in development and style. Movements and groups.
17. Russian drama and theatre of the first half of the 20^th century.
18. World War II in Russian literature.
19. Forced-labour camps in Russian literature.
20. Trends in official literature during the second half of the 20^th century.
21. Trends in unofficial literature during the second half of the 20^th century.
22. Literature and culture in the era of perestroika.
23. Postmodernism. Theory, origins and development.
24. Contemporary Russian literature.
25. Russian literary criticism in the 19^th century.
26. Formalism in Russian literary theory.
27. Semiotics in Russian literary theory.
28. Russian interwar emigration. Main centres and key personalities.
29. Russian emigration in interwar Czechoslovakia.
30. Russian emigration and Russian minorities in the world today.
31. Key actors on the Russian political scene.
32. Nations of the Russian Federation.
33. Characteristics of Russian Orthodoxy and religious life in Russia.
34. Russian philosophers.
35. Marxism in Russia.
36. Czech-Russian relations before World War I.
37. Czech-Russian relations in the 20^th century. T. G. Masaryk and K. Kramář.
38. Main movements in Russian art.
39. Russian music and notable Russian musicians.