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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Ballard, as he recuperates in the hospital, what does he state as the "only real experience" he had been through in years?
(a) His guilt.
(b) His fantasies.
(c) His crash.
(d) His affair.

2. What is Vaughan's scientific subject?
(a) Biology specialist in human reproduction.
(b) Chemistry specialist in dark matter.
(c) Computer specialist in traffic systems.
(d) Physics specialist in atom collision.

3. According to Ballard, his "_________obsessions soon made themselves evident to ______ _________."
(a) Messianic; Paul Waring.
(b) Messianic; Robert Vaughan.
(c) Tyrannical; Robert Vaughan.
(d) Tyrannical; Paul Waring.

4. What is the name of the place where Vaughan and Ballard watch vehicles crash into concrete blocks?
(a) Vehicular Safety Compound.
(b) Auto Mechanic School.
(c) Crash Test Site.
(d) Road Research Laboratory.

5. When Ballard first sees Helen at the hospital, what is the scarred man wearing under his lab coat?
(a) A brass medallion.
(b) A gold cross.
(c) A copper emblem.
(d) A silver tag.

6. What is Ballard's "ironic gesture" to provoke Catherine and Renate, who don't want him to drive?
(a) Buying cars.
(b) Stealing cars.
(c) Borrowing cars.
(d) Renting cars.

7. As Ballard drives home with Catherine after being released from the hospital, how does the image of a car change for him after his accident?
(a) Its purpose remained elusive.
(b) It contained multiple identities.
(c) It became an object of fear.
(d) Its true nature had been exposed.

8. At Northolt station, why does Helen ask Ballard to take her to the airport?
(a) Because she likes to see the planes take off and land.
(b) Because she is taking a vacation to Spain.
(c) Because she works in the immigration department.
(d) Because she is picking up a friend from America.

9. As Ballard is taken to the hospital after his crash, he recalls that "Vaughan collected the _____of ________nurses in his photographic albums."
(a) Grimaces; casualty.
(b) Smiles; casualty.
(c) Grimaces; emergency.
(d) Smiles; emergency.

10. According to Ballard, why did Vaughan's former career come to an abrupt end?
(a) Because his wife died in a terrible car crash.
(b) Because he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash.
(c) Because he was arrested and convicted of killing his lover.
(d) Because he was institutionalized for his unconventional views.

11. Why is Ballard skeptical about Helen working for the Road Research Laboratory?
(a) Because he thinks its too close to the accident that killed her husband.
(b) Because he thinks that she is not qualified to work there.
(c) Because he thinks she could get a better job as a doctor.
(d) Because he thinks the work at the laboratory is ineffective.

12. According to Ballard, Vaughan's relations with women were all governed by what?
(a) "Obsessive games."
(b) "Violent fantasies."
(c) "Sexist ideas."
(d) "Repressed desires."

13. What is Helen wearing when Ballard sees her in the yard at Northolt station?
(a) A red dress.
(b) A green jacket.
(c) A white raincoat.
(d) A black suit.

14. Who does Ballard take to the stock-car races in the stadium at Northolt?
(a) His wife.
(b) Helen.
(c) Vaughan.
(d) Renata.

15. Where does Ballard take one of the three prostitutes to?
(a) The back lot of a film studio.
(b) The driveway of a colleague's.
(c) The deserted garage of a church.
(d) The top deck of a car park.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who did the man killed in the car crash with Ballard work for?

2. According to Ballard at the end of Chapter 2, the radiator grills of their cars resembled what?

3. What happens to Ballard three days after his surgery in the hospital?

4. Who does Ballard first take in a rental car to the scene of his accident that killed Helen's husband?

5. Where is the film studio Ballard works for located?

(see the answer keys)

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