View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where do the stunt drivers at the stock-car races in the stadium at Northolt work?
(a) At Shepperton Studios.
(b) At the airport.
(c) At the hospital.
(d) At Road Research Laboratory.

2. When Ballard goes to the garage, what does he see on a rear window sill that reminds him of his own personal possessions scattered on the floor of his car after the crash?
(a) A necktie.
(b) A purse.
(c) A briefcase.
(d) A scarf.

3. Who tells Ballard that there is "a certain moral virtue in being materialistic"?
(a) Vera Seagrave.
(b) Catherine Ballard.
(c) Helen Remington.
(d) Robert Vaughan.

4. Who dies as the novel opens?
(a) Catherine Ballard.
(b) James Ballard.
(c) Dr. Robert Vaughan.
(d) Dr. Helen Remington.

5. What kind of car does Catherine drive?
(a) A minivan.
(b) A truck.
(c) A large sedan.
(d) A sports car.

6. Who, according to Ballard, "read the answer to her unspoken questions in the scars on my legs and chest" in the hospital?
(a) His wife.
(b) His mistress.
(c) His nurse.
(d) His doctor.

7. How many weeks does Ballard stay in the hospital after the crash in Chapter 2?
(a) One.
(b) Six.
(c) Three.
(d) Four.

8. What did Vaughan rehearse for in the days before his death?
(a) His wedding.
(b) Ballard's murder.
(c) A one-man show.
(d) His own death.

9. What does Helen do when Ballard first addresses her in the hospital?
(a) She laughs at him.
(b) She hits him.
(c) She ignores him.
(d) She screams at him.

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

11. What is the person parked behind Ballard at the scene of the accident that killed Helen's husband doing?
(a) Writing on a pad.
(b) Flashing his headlights.
(c) Taking pictures of him.
(d) Talking on the phone.

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

13. Who did Vaughan collide with two months earlier when he lurched from a concealed access road?
(a) A stunt driver.
(b) Two mechanics.
(c) A filmmaker.
(d) Two air hostesses.

14. Who does Ballard first take in a rental car to the scene of his accident that killed Helen's husband?
(a) Catherine.
(b) Helen.
(c) No one.
(d) Renata.

15. What premonitions does Ballard begin to have after being released from the hospital?
(a) The second coming of Jesus.
(b) The return to a pre-industrial age.
(c) The end of the world by automobile.
(d) The salvation of sinners everywhere.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is injured at the stock-car races at the stadium in Northolt and taken to the hospital?

2. What is Ballard's "ironic gesture" to provoke Catherine and Renate, who don't want him to drive?

3. What injuries does Ballard sustain after the crash?

4. After the crash, Ballard states that an "uneasy _____ carried me towards the hospital."

5. Why is Ballard skeptical about Helen working for the Road Research Laboratory?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 525 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample