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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 sort of work does Nell want to do in Madame Ping's establishment?

2. How old are the three girls with original Primers when they play together outside the manor of Elizabeth's grandfather?

3. After watching the performance of the theater company on the barge, what does Fiona decide to do?

4. During the party for Carl Hollywood's return from abroad, what does he say to Miranda?

5. The adults conclude what, after watching the three girls play outside the manor of Elizabeth's grandfather?

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Carl Hollywood's Activities at the Parnasse," why is Miranda so interested in the technical aspects of the Primer's interactive features?

2. In "Hackworth in China," what does Dr. X see as the destruction of Chinese society in the novel?

3. In "Miranda Receives an Unusual Ractive Message," what scheme does she enter into?

4. In "The Hackworths in Transit, and in London," what surreal event do Hackworth and Fiona encounter on a barge, and how do their lives change as a result?

5. In "General Description of Life with the Constable," why does Constable Moore relive his past experiences through mediatrons?

6. In "Hackworth Receives an Ambiguous Message," after Hackworth finds a message telling him to seek the Alchemist, what unusual event occurs?

7. In "Hackworth Awakes from a Dream," after waking from his dream of multiple sexual encounters and traveling back through the underwater tunnels, what clues does Hackworth find to indicate the passage of time?

8. When Nell is called to Mrs. Matheson's deathbed in "From the Primer, a Visit to Castle Turing," what does the woman say to Nell that seems to foreshadow future events?

9. In "From the Primer, Princess Nell Enters into the Lands of King Coyote," how does Princess Nell lose her last two remaining magical friends?

10. In "Final Onslaught of the Fists," what message does Carl Hollywood receive from the government, and how does he carry out that request?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the primary theme of "The Diamond Age"? Is the author more of a Confucian or Victorian at heart? What lesson would Neal Stephenson wish readers to take with them after reading his work?

Essay Topic 2

Describe principles of Confucian justice as exhibited by Judge Fang and Chang in the courtroom and in their interactions with citizens.

Essay Topic 3

The author uses performances throughout the novel to propel the action, including ractor interactions in the Primer, theatrical plays, passives, actives, mediatrons, trance-like rituals, and scripted brothel fantasies. Discuss the author's use of drama within drama to forward the plot of "The Diamond Age".

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