View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What name does Nikola Tesla call Marconi?

2. What does Nikola Tesla need now to capitalize on his 1906 invention?

3. Whom does Lt. Hobson try to interest in robotry as a way to raise funds for Nikola Tesla?

4. Who finds Nikola Tesla dead in his bed on January 8?

5. What company refuses to entertain any of Nikola Tesla's proposals in 1920?

Short Essay Questions

1. In Chapter 15, "Magnificent and Doomed," what trickery does Nikola Tesla use in pictures in a published article to give the impression that he is impervious to the lighting generated at his Colorado Springs laboratory?

2. What mistake does Nikola make when proposing his process for degassifying copper to the American Smelting and Refining Company?

3. In Chapter 19, "The Nobel Affair," for what two inventions does Nikola Tesla think he can collaborate with John Hays Hammond, Jr., and why?

4. Why does Nikola try not to attend the Edison Medal ceremony to receive his award?

5. In the face of what is termed the 1903 "Rich Man's Panic," how does Scherff advise Nikola Tesla to leverage one of his inventions to raise funds?

6. In Chapter 24, "Transitions," why does Nikola Tesla bemoan the "problem" of women in an interview in the Detroit Free Press?

7. Why is there conflicting information about Nikola Tesla's invention of a "Chinese Wall" in the U.S. of Teleforce?

8. Why is Nikola Tesla constantly passed over for fame and fortune for his inventions, especially radio?

9. Why does Nikola care for pigeons in Chapter 23, "Pigeons"?

10. In Chapter 27, "Cosmic Communion," for what purpose does Nikola Tesla use his birthday parties during his eightieth decade?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

It seems that Nikola Tesla's decision not to enter into a marriage was part of a deliberate effort to maintain the focus on his career. Yet other successful "money men" and inventors of the times had wives and children. With your knowledge of Nikola, and given the times in which he lived, explain whether you think he would have been able to envision and create the devices and ideas that he did had he been married. Select one or two married "money men" described in the book, and discuss why they were able to be successful. Are the type of women they selected for mates similar to the type of women with whom Nikola affiliated as friends?

Essay Topic 2

Later in his life, Nikola Tesla becomes enamored with feeding and caring for pigeons in Manhattan. Author Margaret Cheney provides numerous theories that attempt to explain Nikola's attraction and even compulsion for the birds. Describe the various theories mentioned in the book, and explain which theory is the most plausible to you. Why? Finally, discuss your opinion about whether Nikola's love of nursing pigeons has something to do with an attempt to replace the lack of a female marriage partner in his life.

Essay Topic 3

Nikola Tesla has learned to hobnob with high society as a way to gain access to potential investors. He is clearly eccentric and not affluent, yet he is accepted as a member of the New York "400." What reasons can you give for this? Describe your reasons why the Robert Underwood Johnson family considers him worthy of inclusion at their Lexington Avenue parties. Why are the conventions Nikola learns from socializing with the Johnsons important to his ongoing society efforts?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 987 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample