Questions for "How Much Land Does A Man Need?"

Yesterday, My classmates and I read a short story called, "Much Land Does A Man Need?" by Leo Tolstoy. In summary,
               a man named Pahom gets great deals for land and never stops buying the land. He eventually makes a deal with the Devil for his life. Pahom dies because he was unable to complete his task.

So anyway, here are my questions!

1. What does it mean to say something sneeringly?
2. What is a ruble?
3. Why isn’t his wife saying anything about all the land he is buying?
4. Do they have a financial problem?
5. Is he actually talking to the Devil?
6. How did Pahom die?
7. How old is Pahom?
8. What are the Bashkirs?