Chapter 3 Quiz: The AI Coding Tool Landscape

Test your understanding of Chapter 3 with these 25 questions. Try to answer each question before revealing the answer.

Question 1

What category of AI coding tool is Claude Code?

Show Answer **Terminal-based agent.** Claude Code runs in the command line and operates as an AI pair programmer that can read files, write code, execute commands, and perform multi-step development tasks through a conversational interface.

Question 2

Which AI coding tool pioneered the concept of inline "ghost text" code completion?

Show Answer **GitHub Copilot.** Launched in preview in 2021, it was the first widely adopted AI coding assistant and established the pattern of showing grayed-out code suggestions inline as developers type.

Question 3

What is the key technical advantage of Cursor's codebase indexing compared to tools that rely on open-file context?

Show Answer Cursor's codebase indexing uses **semantic indexing and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)** to include relevant code from across the entire project in the AI's context, not just the currently open files. This means the AI has better awareness of the full project when generating suggestions.

Question 4

Which of the five major AI coding tools discussed in the chapter is the only fully open-source option?

Show Answer **Aider.** It is released under the Apache 2.0 license. This means you can inspect, modify, and contribute to the source code. All other major tools discussed (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf) are proprietary.

Question 5

What is Windsurf's agentic system called, and what distinguishes its approach from other tools?

Show Answer Windsurf's agentic system is called **Cascade**. It distinguishes itself through a "flow-based" approach where the AI proactively monitors your development activity and offers assistance when it detects opportunities, rather than waiting for the developer to explicitly ask for help.

Question 6

Name three factors from the chapter's decision framework for choosing an AI coding tool.

Show Answer The chapter lists five factors in the decision framework (any three of these is correct): 1. **Your experience level** (beginner, intermediate, advanced) 2. **Your preferred workflow** (editor-based, terminal-based, autonomous) 3. **Your project type** (web, systems, data science, DevOps, mobile) 4. **Your budget** (free to premium tiers) 5. **Your privacy requirements** (standard to maximum privacy)

Question 7

What is the "convergence trend" described in the ecosystem overview?

Show Answer The convergence trend refers to the **blurring of boundaries between tool categories** as they mature. Inline completion tools are gaining agentic capabilities, AI-native IDEs are adding terminal-based workflows, and terminal agents are gaining richer visual interfaces. Tools that started in one category are adding features that push them into adjacent categories.

Question 8

How does Aider handle version control differently from other tools?

Show Answer Aider **automatically commits every AI-generated edit to Git** with a descriptive commit message. This creates a clean audit trail of all AI-assisted modifications. While other tools have Git integration, Aider is unique in making automatic Git commits a core part of every code change workflow.

Question 9

What is the approximate context window size for Claude Code's underlying models, and why does this matter?

Show Answer Claude Code is built on models with context windows of **up to 200,000 tokens**. This matters because a larger context window means the AI can hold more information about the codebase in its working memory during a conversation, enabling it to understand and reason about larger portions of a project simultaneously.

Question 10

Which tool would be most appropriate for a developer who wants to generate a React UI component from a design screenshot?

Show Answer **v0 by Vercel.** It is a specialized generative UI tool that can create React components from natural language descriptions or image inputs. It generates clean, modern React code using frameworks like Next.js with Tailwind CSS and shadcn/ui components, making it ideal for image-to-code workflows.

Question 11

What are the five categories of AI coding tools described in Section 3.1?

Show Answer 1. **Inline Completion Tools** (e.g., GitHub Copilot) 2. **AI-Native IDEs** (e.g., Cursor) 3. **Terminal-Based Agents** (e.g., Claude Code, Aider) 4. **Agentic Development Platforms** (e.g., Windsurf, Replit Agent, Devin) 5. **Specialized Generators** (e.g., v0, Bolt)

Question 12

Why does the chapter state that two tools using the same underlying AI model can deliver very different experiences?

Show Answer Because the **engineering that wraps around the model** matters enormously. Two tools using the same model can differ in how they manage context, what system prompts they use, how they handle tool calls and file access, and how they present results to the developer. The chapter uses the analogy: "the model is the engine, but the tool is the entire vehicle."

Question 13

What is the MCP (Model Context Protocol) mentioned in the Claude Code section?

Show Answer MCP stands for **Model Context Protocol**. It is a protocol that allows AI tools like Claude Code to connect to custom tool servers for extended capabilities. It enables Claude Code to interact with external systems and services beyond its built-in capabilities. The chapter notes this topic is covered in detail in Chapter 37.

Question 14

According to the chapter, what is the most popular multi-tool combination among advanced vibe coders?

Show Answer The **Cursor + Claude Code** workflow. Developers use Cursor for day-to-day editing, inline completions, and quick chat interactions, while using Claude Code in a separate terminal for complex tasks like deep debugging, large-scale refactoring, architectural planning, and tasks requiring extended reasoning.

Question 15

What is Devin, and how does its approach to AI-assisted coding differ from tools like Copilot or Cursor?

Show Answer Devin (by Cognition) is positioned as an **"AI software engineer"** -- an autonomous AI agent that handles complex software engineering tasks end-to-end with minimal human oversight. Unlike Copilot (which suggests code inline) or Cursor (which provides an interactive IDE experience), Devin operates in its own sandboxed development environment with a code editor, terminal, and web browser, autonomously planning, coding, testing, and debugging until a task is complete.

Question 16

What is "extended thinking" in the context of Claude Code, and why is it valuable?

Show Answer Extended thinking is a capability of Claude's models that allows the AI to **engage in deep, multi-step reasoning before producing an answer**. It essentially shows the AI's thought process as it works through complex problems. It is valuable because it improves the quality of responses for complex tasks like debugging intricate issues, refactoring large codebases, or designing system architectures -- tasks that benefit from careful, step-by-step analysis rather than quick pattern matching.

Question 17

Name three pitfalls in tool selection identified in Section 3.9.

Show Answer The chapter identifies five pitfalls (any three is correct): 1. **Choosing based on hype** rather than your actual workflow needs 2. **Ignoring the learning investment** required to use a tool effectively 3. **Treating tools as exclusive** when you can use multiple tools together 4. **Over-optimizing for price** at the expense of productivity gains 5. **Not trying before committing** (not using free tiers or trials to evaluate tools)

Question 18

Which AI coding tool is specifically designed for the AWS ecosystem?

Show Answer **Amazon Q Developer** (formerly known as CodeWhisperer). It provides code suggestions, chat, and agent capabilities with deep awareness of AWS services, making it particularly valuable for cloud-native development on the AWS platform.

Question 19

What are the three interaction models described in the chapter, and which tools primarily use each?

Show Answer 1. **Tight feedback loop / inline completion:** Many small suggestions appear as you type. Primary tools: GitHub Copilot, Cursor Tab, Windsurf Supercomplete. 2. **Conversational model:** You describe what you want and the AI produces larger chunks of work. Primary tools: Claude Code, Aider, chat features of Copilot and Cursor. 3. **Autonomous/agentic model:** The AI plans and executes multi-step tasks with periodic check-ins. Primary tools: Claude Code (agentic mode), Cursor Agent, Windsurf Cascade, Devin.

Question 20

According to the chapter, what is the primary advantage of Aider's open-source nature beyond the software itself being free?

Show Answer Aider's open-source nature has made it an important **benchmark and reference point** for the entire AI coding tool community. Its public leaderboards, which compare how different AI models perform on coding tasks, have become a trusted resource for understanding model capabilities. This benefits the broader developer community, even those who do not use Aider directly.

Question 21

What five principles does the chapter recommend for multi-tool workflows?

Show Answer 1. **Minimize context switching** -- set up tools so switching is fast and natural. 2. **Use each tool for its strengths** -- do not force a tool to do what another does better. 3. **Maintain a single source of truth** -- use version control, commit frequently, review changes. 4. **Learn the handoff patterns** -- develop smooth patterns for transitioning between tools. 5. **Do not overcomplicate things** -- two tools is usually sufficient; four or more usually adds confusion.

Question 22

Which tool runs entirely in the browser and uses WebContainers technology?

Show Answer **Bolt (by StackBlitz).** It is an AI-powered full-stack application generator that runs entirely in the browser, using WebContainers technology to provide a complete development environment without any local setup. It generates code, installs dependencies, and runs the application all within the browser.

Question 23

For a developer who values privacy above all else and does not want any code sent to external servers, which tool does the chapter recommend?

Show Answer **Aider with local models.** Because Aider supports running local models (via Ollama, for example), it is the only major tool that enables a fully local workflow where no data leaves the developer's machine. The chapter notes this as the recommended approach for maximum privacy, though it comes with the trade-off of requiring local hardware capable of running AI models.

Question 24

What is the "edit format" system that Aider uses, and why is it important?

Show Answer Aider's edit format system **structures how the AI model communicates file changes**. Different edit formats (whole file, diff, unified diff, and others) optimize for different models and use cases. This engineering layer between the raw model output and the file system is described as a key reason why Aider can work effectively across many different AI models -- the right edit format ensures reliable file modification regardless of which model generates the code.

Question 25

The chapter argues that choosing the "best" AI coding tool is the wrong framing. What does it suggest instead?

Show Answer The chapter argues that the best approach is **not to find the single "best" tool but to understand the landscape well enough to choose the right tool (or combination of tools) for your specific needs, workflow, and budget.** Different tools excel at different tasks, and many developers benefit from using two or three tools together, each applied to the tasks where it is strongest. The decision should be based on factors like experience level, preferred workflow, project type, budget, and privacy requirements.

Scoring Guide

  • 23-25 correct: Excellent mastery of the chapter material.
  • 19-22 correct: Strong understanding with minor gaps.
  • 15-18 correct: Good foundation, but review the sections you missed.
  • 11-14 correct: Partial understanding. Re-read the chapter with focus on the comparison sections.
  • 10 or fewer: Review the chapter thoroughly before proceeding.