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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Chapter 13, "Hurler of Lightning," to where does Nikola Tesla move in 1899?

2. What is Nikola Tesla's first job accomplishment with Thomas Edison?

3. How many volts are Nikola Tesla's coils producing when he asks Leonard Curtis to find him a new laboratory?

4. How tall is Nikola Tesla in the year 1893?

5. What does Nikola Tesla send through neighboring buildings?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Nikola Tesla become a regular patron at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City in Chapter 8, "High Society"?

2. In Chapter 5, "The War of the Currents Begins," why is Nikola Tesla depressed at age thirty?

3. Nikola's demonstration of the world's first radio-controlled boat doesn't make a big splash. Why is this?

4. What invention does Nikola claim to be useful to send signals to Mars, and why is this possible?

5. In Chapter 6, "Order of the Flaming Sword," what practical applications do Nikola Tesla's inventions have?

6. In Chapter 10, "An Error in Judgment," describe three reasons why Nikola is almost destitute financially.

7. In Chapter 4, "At the Court of Mr. Edison," describe the personality differences between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

8. In Chapter 11, "To Mars," what patents does Nikola file in November, 1897, and what application do they potentially support?

9. What contributions does Nikola believe he has made to science as a result of his magnifying oscillator experiments in Colorado Springs?

10. Describe three elements of the friendship between Nikola Tesla and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wood Johnson.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison are two men with a shared interest in science, yet cannot be more different in their outlook on life and approaches to their work.

Part 1) How does Nikola Tesla's and Thomas Edison's first meeting in 1884 set the stage for the personality conflicts that follow?

Part 2) Why does Thomas Edison proceed to put Nikola Tesla to work despite his disdain for alternating current?

Essay Topic 2

For a period in Nikola Tesla's life, he becomes quite secretive about more than surface details of his inventions. In his seventies, he announces earth-shattering inventions and makes numerous prophecies. To what do you attribute these changes? Why is Nikola suddenly willing to take risks again after so many years? How much of this change can be attributed to the interest shown to him by Kenneth Swezey?

Essay Topic 3

Over a period of several decades, Nikola Tesla has a platonic relationship with Katherine Johnson. Describe the reasons you think Nikola and Katherine have for valuing this relationship. What does Katherine provide Nikola? And in turn, what does Nikola bring Katherine? What reasons is this friendship able to survive for so many years, especially since Katherine is married to Nikola Tesla's friend Robert Underwood Johnson?

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