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B) Outdated and dull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