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. After being released from his dream-like prison, what does Hackworth realize about the Drummers?

2. In the Primer, after Princess Nell outwits King Coyote, what does the King do?

3. Who watches the three girls with Primers play outside the manor of Elizabeth's grandfather?

4. When Hackworth goes to Seattle to see his ex-wife, how do the two communicate?

5. Describe the woman at the center of the Drummer ritual.

Short Essay Questions

1. In "Hackworth in China," what is ironic about the revelations that Dr. X makes to Hackworth?

2. In "The Hackworths Have a Family Reunion," at the end of the tense meeting between Hackworth and Gwendolyn, what important event occurs?

3. What are the three Graces taught at the Academy, and which Grace gives the students the most trouble?

4. In "From the Primer, Princess Nell's Activities as Duchess of Turing," how does Princess Nell become the Duchess of Turing?

5. In "Carl Hollywood's Hack," how do Carl Hollywood's activities in a teahouse begin to tie together the various main characters and plots in the novel?

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

7. In "Nell's Life at Dovetail," why is Nell not allowed to live with the other girls at Miss Matheson's Academy of the Three Graces?

8. Part Two of the novel opens with what sort of bizarre ritual?

9. In "Carl Hollywood Returns from Abroad," when Miranda admits to Carl Hollywood that she thinks of Nell as a daughter, what reaction does Carl Hollywood have?

10. In "Peculiar Practices in the Woods," what does Hackworth explain to his daughter regarding the activities of CryptNet?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the author's use of wordplay in "The Diamond Age" to further his points and entertain the reader. Examples to consider include: Hackworth, who hacks; phyle, a filing system for citizens; and the Flea Circus, for counterfeiting with mites.

Essay Topic 2

Compare and contrast the various methods of sharing data as portrayed in the novel. Include discussions of the Feed, the Seed, the Drummer ritual, and the Primers.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,000 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample