Nikola Tesla

Which event in the story helps the reader understand Nikola’s current conflict?

• Nikola searches for his beloved bird.

• Vuk destroys Nikola’s June bug engine.

• The geriatric pigeon hobbles on a foot that has been twisted.

• The lightning and thunder reminds Nikola of his childhood.

For what purpose does the author include details throughout Tesla’s life?

• To highlight Tesla’s childhood

• To show that Tesla’s vivid imagination

• To illustrate the variety of Tesla’s research

• To emphasize the loneliness that Tesla now feels compared to earlier in his life

Which of the following sentences BEST shows Tesla’s deep relationship with his birds?

• Out on the ledge of my room, I maintain a small infirmary for injured and geriatic pigeons.

• Though it makes no sense, I think of her as my wife, or at least something like a wife, inasmuch as an inventor could ever have a wife, inasmuch as a bird who can fly could ever love a man who can’t.

• I don’t allow myself to believe it might be her.

• Having lived in America for fifty-nine years, I’ve nearly perfected my relationships with the pigeons, the sparrows, and the starlings of New York City

The story’s first person point of view reveals --

• Tesla’s confusing state of mind

• Tesla’s pride in his work

• Tesla’s fear of recognition

• Tesla’s history with Marconi

How do the structures of the two selections compare?

• Both selections follow strict time order.

• Both selections use flashback and foreshadowing.

• The nonfiction selection follows strict time order, but the fiction selection uses flashback and foreshadowing.

• The fiction selection follows strict time order, but the nonfiction selection uses flashback and foreshadowing.

Read these excerpts from the two selections. What detail in the historical fiction contradicts information in the biographical profile?

• The Historical Fiction suggests that Tesla lacked a creative imagination.

• The Historical Fiction explains that Tesla began inventing at a young age.

• The Historical Fiction implies that Tesla was more inventive than Edison.

• The Historical Fiction shows Tesla creating a model to test an idea.

Which statement is supported by both accounts of Tesla’s life?

• Tesla was unable to stop thinking about the past.

• Tesla cared for old and injured birds.

• Tesla created many brilliant inventions.

• Tesla eventually achieved success and satisfaction.