Questions & Answers about Здание рухнуло, не уцелел даже обломок.
Why is обломок in the nominative case? Doesn't this lesson focus on the genitive of negation?
Here, обломок is the grammatical subject performing the action of the verb уцелел (survived), so it stays in the nominative. However, you could express the same idea using this lesson's verbless existential structure: ...ни обломка! (not a single fragment!). Using ни + Genitive removes the focus from the action and emphasizes the absolute absence of the object.
Why use уцелел for "survived" instead of выжил?
Выжить is strictly for living beings staying alive. Уцелеть means "to remain intact" or "to avoid destruction." It is the correct verb for inanimate objects like buildings, documents, or fragments, though it can also be used for people who come out of a disaster unscathed.
Why is the verb уцелел placed before даже обломок?
Does рухнуло just mean "fell down"?
It is much stronger and more specific than the standard verb for falling (упасть). Рухнуть is a perfective verb meaning to abruptly collapse, cave in, or crash to the ground. It is commonly used for large physical structures, but also metaphorically for economies, plans, or hopes.