Comprehensive Study Notes for 1st-Year Russian Language and Humanities Final Tests

Administrative and Academic Context of the Examinations

The final control tests for first-year students of the $2025\text{-}2026$ academic year are administered under the authority of the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, R.A. Ikramov. These evaluations are designed to assess foundational knowledge in Russian linguistics, literature, and regional history. The preparation and compilation of these materials were overseen by the Head of the Department, B.T. Badalova, and compilers F.M. Yusupova and K.A. Shokarimova.

Fundamentals of Russian Morphology and Grammatical Categories

In the Russian language, the verb is defined as an autonomous part of speech that denotes the action of an object. Verbs are categorized by tense: past, present, and future. Examples of past tense verbs include $\text{dumala}$ (thought) and $\text{pisal}$ (wrote); present tense examples include $\text{kushayu}$ (I am eating); and future tense examples include $\text{razzhgu}$ (I will light) and $\text{postroyu}$ (I will build). The infinitive is the initial or dictionary form of the verb, represented by words such as $\text{bezhat'}$ (to run), $\text{promochit'}$ (to soak), and $\text{idti}$ (to go).

The noun is an autonomous part of speech denoting an object and answering the questions "who?" or "what?". There are $6$ autonomous parts of speech in total. Nouns possess grammatical gender: masculine (e.g., $\text{urok}$, $\text{institut}$, $\text{drug}$), feminine (e.g., $\text{ruchka}$, $\text{sestra}$, $\text{mysh'}$), and neuter (e.g., $\text{yabloko}$, $\text{more}$, $\text{pis'mo}$). Some nouns belong to the common gender, such as $\text{neryakha}$ (sloven), $\text{obzhora}$ (glutton), $\text{sirota}$ (orphan), $\text{umnitsa}$ (clever person), and $\text{plaksa}$ (crybaby). Nouns are also classified as animate (naming living beings like $\text{rybaki}$, $\text{sportsmeny}$) or inanimate (naming objects or concepts like $\text{zvozdy}$, $\text{iney}$, $\text{Otechestvo}$). Furthermore, nouns can be concrete, abstract (e.g., $\text{schast'ye}$, $\text{druzhba}$), collective (e.g., $\text{studenchestvo}$, $\text{krest'yanstvo}$), or material (e.g., $\text{smetana}$, $\text{vetchina}$, $\text{benzin}$). Certain nouns exist only in the plural form, such as $\text{vesy}$ (scales), $\text{shashki}$ (checkers), and $\text{ochki}$ (glasses).

Adjectives denote the attribute of an object and answer the questions "which?" or "whose?". They agree with nouns in gender, number, and case. Masculine adjective endings include $\text{-oy}$, $\text{-iy}$, and $\text{-yy}$. Adjectives are divided into three categories: qualitative, relative (denoting material or relationship to time/place, e.g., $\text{steklyannaya vaza}$ - glass vase, $\text{derevyannyy stul}$ - wooden chair), and possessive. Numerals designate the count or order of objects. They include cardinal (e.g., $\text{pyat'}$, $\text{desyat'}$), ordinal (e.g., $\text{vtoroy}$, $\text{sotyy}$), and can be simple, complex (e.g., $\text{shest'desyat}$), or compound (e.g., $\text{tridtsat' vosem'}$). Pronouns indicate persons, objects, or quantities without naming them; there are $9$ categories of pronouns, including personal pronouns (e.g., $\text{my}$ - we).

Auxiliary parts of speech include prepositions, conjunctions, and particles. Adverbs are an independent part of speech that describe the circumstances of an action, answering questions such as "how?", "where?", and "how much?". Examples of adverbs of time include $\text{vchera}$ (yesterday), $\text{utrom}$ (in the morning), and $\text{vecherom}$ (in the evening).

Lexicology and Word Relationships

Lexicology is the branch of linguistics that studies the vocabulary of a language and the word as its basic unit. Words can be categorized by their meanings and relationships to other words. Synonyms are words that are different in spelling and sound but identical or close in meaning (e.g., $\text{laskovyy-nezhnyy}$, $\text{bezhat'-mchat'sya}$, $\text{govor-dialekt}$). Antonyms are words with opposite meanings, which can represent spatial relations ($\text{vnutri-snaruzhi}$) or temporal relations ($\text{dnёm-noch'yu}$). Homonyms are words that sound or are written the same but have different meanings. Polysemantic words possess multiple meanings, which can be direct or figurative (e.g., $\text{kholodnyy vzglyad}$ - a cold look).

Vocabulary also includes borrowings from other languages, such as $\text{khalat}$, $\text{fleshka}$, and $\text{avtobus}$. Archaic words and historicisms represent obsolete vocabulary; historicisms denote objects that no longer exist, while archaisms have modern synonyms. Neologisms are new words entering the language, though terms like "Greek mythology" are established and do not contain neologisms compared to terms like "gadget" or "vibe."

Syntax and Sentence Structure

Syntax deals with the structure of sentences and phrases. A sentence is classified by its purpose as declarative (stating a fact), interrogative (asking a question), exclamatory (expressing emotion, e.g., "Ura! Leto nastupilo!"), or imperative (giving a command). The main members of a sentence are the subject, which can be expressed by a noun, pronoun, or numeral (e.g., $\text{Semero odnogo ne zhdut}$), and the predicate (the verb).

Secondary members include circumstances, which can indicate place (e.g., $\text{iz Bukhary}$), time, reason (e.g., $\text{iz-za bolezni}$), or purpose. Complex sentences contain subordinate clauses, such as the subordinate clause of purpose (using the conjunction $\text{chtoby}$) or the subordinate clause of reason (using the conjunction $\text{potomu chto}$).

Functional Styles of Speech and Official Documentation

The Russian language utilizes several functional styles depending on the context of communication. The Scientific style is characterized by precision, logic, and evidence; it is used in textbooks, lectures, reports, and definitions (e.g., defining "adjective"). The Publicistic style is used for newspaper articles, interviews, reports, and debates to influence the audience. The Official-Business style is used for documents like laws, orders, contracts, and powers of attorney ($\text{doverennost'}$). Key documents within this style include applications ($\text{zayavleniye}$), which contain requests or complaints; receipts ($\text{raspiska}$), which confirm the retrieval of something; and reports ($\text{otchet}$), which summarize activity results. An autobiography is a document providing a description of one's own life. The Artistic (Literary) style uses imagery and expressive language and is found in novels, stories, and poems. The Conversational style is used for informal, everyday communication.

General Linguistic and Scientific Disciplines

Linguistic study is divided into various branches. Morphology studies words as parts of speech. Orthography focuses on the correct spelling of words. Orthoepy is concerned with the rules of correct pronunciation. The Russian alphabet consists of precisely $33$ letters.

Historical, Cultural, and Regional Knowledge

Russian classical literature recognizes Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin as its founder; he was born in the year $1799$. Another prominent figure is Konstantin Ushinsky, a distinguished Russian pedagogue who authored textbooks on pedagogy.

Historically, the city of Moscow was founded in $1147$ by Prince Yuri Dolgorukiy. St. Petersburg is situated on the Neva River and is known as the "Northern Capital" of Russia. In Uzbekistan, historical landmarks include the Registan complex in Samarkand, often called the "Pearl of the East," and the Kalyan Minaret in Bukhara. Tamerlane (Amir Timur) spent his childhood and youth in the city of Keshe. The Great Silk Road is the historic route that linked the East with Europe. In the modern educational context of Uzbekistan, Chirchik State Pedagogical University was established in the year $2017$, and secondary professional education is provided through lyceums and colleges.