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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. What accomplishment occurs at Niagara Falls in 1895?

2. What does Thomas Edison do to try to quash the acquisition of Nikola Tesla's invention?

3. For whom does Nikola Tesla say he will build a villa in New York City?

4. What does Nikola Tesla invent that is used in Rahway, New Jersey?

5. In what year does the Tesla Electric Company open?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Nikola out in Colorado keep Scherff motivated while working at the laboratory back in New York?

4. In Chapter 5, "The War of the Currents Begins," describe several events that demonstrate that Nikola Tesla's notoriety is growing.

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

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

7. In Chapter 12, "Robots," why does Nikola Tesla have challenges moving his inventions from his laboratory into working prototypes?

8. In the "Acknowledgements" section, describe the reasons Leland Anderson is interested in Nikola Tesla.

9. From the book's Introduction, why does Nikola Tesla maintain an intensely private life?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

At dinner in the Palm Room of the Waldorf Astoria, Nikola Tesla requires eighteen napkins, polishes the crystal and silver setting, has his meal served by the maitre d'hotel, calculates the cubic contents of his meal, and then departs precisely at 10:00 p.m., all while the other diners maintain their distance and pretend not to stare at him.

Part 1) Discuss how Nikola's compulsive behaviors and expectations affect his ability to produce and bring to closure his experiments, his success over the years raising funds, and his social life.

Part 2) Which of these compulsive behaviors might have helped him, and which would hinder him?

Part 3) If Nikola were alive today, do you think he would he be more likely to better manage some of his compulsions? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 2

It seems that no matter how Nikola approaches the "selling" of his ideas, he never achieves his stated or promised goals. Provide five reasons for this. Which is his biggest obstacle, and why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss two or three things that you learned as a result of reading this book -- and from all of the class and homework learning experiences. Explain the importance of what you learned in each case, and why your new knowledge might make you a different or better person as you grow older.

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