Elon Musk (Isaacson book) - Quiz
  • 1. What list did the book top ahead of its publication?
A) The Los Angeles Times list
B) The New York Times nonfiction list
C) Amazon's bestseller list
D) The Guardian bestseller list
  • 2. When did the book debut at number one on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list?
A) The week ending October 16, 2023
B) The week ending September 16, 2022
C) The week ending September 6, 2023
D) The week ending September 16, 2023
  • 3. How did critic Jennifer Szalai describe Walter Isaacson in relation to obsession?
A) An impatient critic of obsession
B) A dismissive judge of obsession
C) A biased observer of obsession
D) A patient chronicler of obsession
  • 4. Which newspaper did Brian Merchant write a critique for?
A) The New York Times
B) The New Yorker
C) Los Angeles Times
D) The Guardian
  • 5. What format of Isaacson's did Brian Merchant criticize as extremely dated?
A) The investigative journalism format
B) The "great man" biography format
C) The chronological narrative format
D) The autobiographical format
  • 6. How did Brian Merchant say Isaacson persistently framed Musk?
A) A humble and quiet innovator
B) A reckless and toxic man-child
C) A bumbling and unintelligent CEO
D) A "moody but brilliant world-mover"
  • 7. What did Gary Shteyngart call the book in The Guardian?
A) A biased and dated biography
B) A "dull, insight-free doorstop"
C) A brilliant and insightful masterpiece
D) A rigorous work of reportage
  • 8. How did Gary Shteyngart describe vaccine sceptic Joe Rogan in the book according to the review?
A) "Reckless and toxic"
B) "Wickedly smart"
C) "Comically bumbling"
D) "Knowledgeable"
  • 9. What did Musk do to the Twitter sign in San Francisco because he found 'tit' funny?
A) Took the 'w' out
B) Took the 'i' out
C) Took the 't' out
D) Painted it black
  • 10. How did Gary Shteyngart describe Linda Yaccarino?
A) A risk-seeking man-child
B) A brilliant world-mover
C) Almost comically bumbling
D) A patient chronicler
  • 11. What did Constance Grady of Vox say the book strictly is?
A) A book of reportage
B) A political essay
C) A work of fiction
D) A promotional pamphlet
  • 12. How did Constance Grady describe Isaacson's reporting?
A) Outdated and dull
B) Lazy and unverified
C) Rigorous and dogged
D) Biased and superficial
  • 13. What did Constance Grady say the book asks?
A) All the right questions
B) No meaningful questions
C) All the wrong questions
D) Too many questions
  • 14. Which publication did Jill Lepore write her review for?
A) The New Yorker
B) The Verge
C) Vox
D) The Guardian
  • 15. According to Jill Lepore, how does the biography depict Musk regarding humanity?
A) A champion of human rights
B) Estranged from humanity itself
C) A victim of society
D) Deeply connected to humanity
  • 16. How did Jill Lepore describe the book's ending?
A) A dull and insight-free summary
B) A triumphant conclusion
C) A rigorous piece of reportage
D) A disconcerting thing to read
  • 17. According to Isaacson's final lines, what might great innovators resist?
A) Government regulation
B) Financial success
C) Public scrutiny
D) Potty training
  • 18. Which critic called innovators 'risk-seeking man-children' in Isaacson's concluding lines?
A) Jill Lepore
B) Elizabeth Lopatto
C) Walter Isaacson
D) Jennifer Szalai
  • 19. Which publication is Elizabeth Lopatto a critic for?
A) The Verge
B) Los Angeles Times
C) The New Yorker
D) Vox
  • 20. What specific allegations did Elizabeth Lopatto say lacked sourcing?
A) Linda Yaccarino's hiring
B) Starlink being shut off
C) Twitter sign vandalism
D) Joe Rogan's interview
  • 21. What did Elizabeth Lopatto say Isaacson chose not to do regarding Starlink allegations?
A) Read the book
B) Contact Linda Yaccarino
C) Hold more interviews
D) Publish the biography
  • 22. According to Elizabeth Lopatto, what did Isaacson do when Musk contested social media allegations?
A) "Stood his ground"
B) "Asked wrong questions"
C) "Rolled over"
D) "Unearthed anecdotes"
  • 23. Why did Elizabeth Lopatto state Isaacson left out details?
A) To shorten the book length
B) To save printing costs
C) To keep Musk's myth intact
D) To protect national security
  • 24. What is the title of the biography about Elon Musk mentioned in the text?
A) Innovator and Maverick
B) Elon Musk
C) The Life of Musk
D) The Elon Musk Story
  • 25. What previous organization was Walter Isaacson an executive at?
A) Fox News
B) MSNBC
C) CNN
D) BBC
  • 26. Which of the following magazines did Walter Isaacson work as an executive for?
A) Forbes
B) TIME
C) The Economist
D) Fortune
  • 27. Which institute did Walter Isaacson serve as a former executive at?
A) Aspen Institute
B) Brookings Institution
C) Hoover Institution
D) MIT Media Lab
  • 28. Which historical figure did Isaacson NOT write a best-selling biography for, according to the text?
A) Benjamin Franklin
B) Albert Einstein
C) Winston Churchill
D) Leonardo da Vinci
  • 29. Which publishing company published the book?
A) Macmillan Publishers
B) Penguin Random House
C) HarperCollins
D) Simon & Schuster
  • 30. When did Elon Musk first announce that Isaacson was writing his biography?
A) September 2023
B) August 2021
C) August 2023
D) September 2021
  • 31. For how many years did Isaacson follow Musk while writing the book?
A) Two years
B) Five years
C) One year
D) Three years
  • 32. Whose messages did Musk share with Isaacson, some of which were included in the book?
A) Vladimir Putin
B) Volodymyr Zelenskyy
C) Ukrainian general Kyrylo Budanov
D) Ukrainian minister Mykhailo Fedorov
  • 33. How did Isaacson describe Elon's personality in an interview?
A) Very mercurial
B) Introverted and cold
C) Shy and reserved
D) Calm and predictable
  • 34. According to Isaacson, did Musk ever tell him not to put anything in the book?
A) Yes, about Starlink
B) No, never
C) Yes, about his family
D) Yes, about Twitter
  • 35. What does Isaacson write that Musk is 'addicted to'?
A) Control
B) Twitter
C) Work
D) Drama
  • 36. What was the alleged target of the Ukrainian drone attack that Starlink supposedly thwarted in 2022?
A) Russian aircraft in Belarus
B) Russian military bases in Moscow
C) Russian warships in Crimea
D) A Russian supply train in Donbas
  • 37. What did Isaacson eventually do regarding his initial claim about the Crimean Starlink coverage?
A) Retracted his claim as a mistake
B) Stood by the claim firmly
C) Removed the book from publication entirely
D) Blamed Elon Musk for lying to him
  • 38. Which newspaper published Isaacson's opinion piece that later required a correction?
A) The Wall Street Journal
B) The Guardian
C) The New York Times
D) The Washington Post
  • 39. According to The Washington Post's correction, how far from the Crimean coast was coverage disabled before the attack?
A) Within 50 km
B) Within 200 km
C) Within 100 km
D) Within 500 km
  • 40. Who is Kyrylo Budanov?
A) A Starlink engineer
B) A Russian military commander
C) A Ukrainian general
D) A Ukrainian minister
  • 41. What was Ukrainian general Kyrylo Budanov's opinion on whether Elon Musk operated 'mythical buttons'?
A) He denied that Starlink was ever used
B) He was not sure
C) He was certain Musk did it intentionally
D) He proved Musk pushed the buttons
  • 42. Which media outlet did Vivian Wilson give an interview to regarding the book?
A) The New York Times
B) BBC News
C) Teen Vogue
D) NBC News
  • 43. How did the book describe Vivian Wilson's political ideology?
A) Extreme capitalist
B) Moderate conservative
C) Radical Marxist
D) Libertarian socialist
  • 44. What name did the book use to refer to Vivian Wilson?
A) Jenna
B) Vivian
C) Christiana
D) Alexandra
  • 45. Through whom did Isaacson claim he reached out to Vivian?
A) School teachers
B) Talent agents
C) Family members
D) Close friends
  • 46. On which social media platform did Vivian post a series of responses in August?
A) Threads
B) Twitter
C) X
D) Instagram
  • 47. How did Vivian describe the book in her posts on Threads?
A) Fair and balanced
B) Deeply inspiring
C) Mostly accurate
D) Genuinely defamatory
  • 48. According to Vivian, what did the book deliberately avoid including?
A) Her academic transcripts
B) Her financial records
C) Her medical history
D) Any testimony by her
  • 49. What aspect of Vivian's identity did she say the book trivialized?
A) Her trans identity
B) Her ethnic background
C) Her professional career
D) 她的 educational achievements
  • 50. What did Vivian say the book misconstrued?
A) Her childhood memories
B) Her reasons for separation
C) Her political donations
D) 她的 business ventures
  • 51. How did Vivian claim the book tried to frame her existence?
A) A reason for her father's financial success
B) A villain-origin backstory for her father's rightwards political shift
C) An inspiration for technological innovation
D) A catalyst for her father's space program
  • 52. Which publication described Vivian's portrayal as an angry, rebellious child?
A) The Wall Street Journal
B) Teen Vogue
C) NBC News
D) Time Magazine
  • 53. According to Teen Vogue, Vivian was described as blinded by what ideology?
A) Ultra-capitalist ideology
B) Traditional religious ideology
C) Radical anticapitalist ideology
D) Authoritarian political ideology
  • 54. What did Vivian say Isaacson needed to do in order to fulfill his agenda?
A) Ignore international politics
B) Villainize the trans teenager
C) Focus solely on Tesla
D) Praise her father's competitors
  • 55. Which company purchased the film rights for the book adaptation?
A) Warner Bros
B) Netflix
C) A24
D) Disney
  • 56. Who was chosen to direct the film adaptation of the book?
A) Christopher Nolan
B) Steven Spielberg
C) Martin Scorsese
D) Darren Aronofsky
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