View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do the stunt drivers at the stock-car races in the stadium at Northolt work?

2. What pictures is Ballard's passenger looking at when they arrive at the scene of his accident that killed Helen's husband?

3. How many weeks does Ballard stay in the hospital after the crash in Chapter 2?

4. Who is the driver parked behind Ballard at the scene of the accident that killed Helen's husband?

5. On their driving excursions to look for accident sites, what does Vaughan describe to Ballard?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who is with Dr. Helen Remington in the hospital and why is it significant?

2. Why is Dr. Robert Vaughan wanted by the police and how is it significant?

3. Where does Ballard take Renata after his release from the hospital and why?

4. Why does Ballard begin renting cars and what do they signify?

5. How is the man killed in the crash with Ballard symbolic?

6. What is the chronology of the novel and why is it significant?

7. What does the prostitute Ballard hires share in common with his wife and his lover and what do they show about Ballard's character?

8. What is Helen Remington doing at the impound yard when Ballard returns to survey the damage to his car and what does it show about her character?

9. What does Ballard believe Helen's motives are for making love with him at the site of the accident and what is their sex act a metaphor for?

10. What is the significance of the airport in "Crash"?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Traffic is a leitmotif in "Crash." What is the meaning of traffic, the material traffic of cars on the highways, as well as the emotional traffic of the characters lives?

Essay Topic 2

What is the role of fame in the novel?

1) How does Vaughan use his celebrity status in the novel?

2) Why is Vaughan and Seagrave obsessed with famous figures?

3) What is the connection between immortality and fame?

Essay Topic 3

Compare Vaughan and Ballard as characters. Define their major character traits and discuss their similarities and differences. What is the nature of their relationship? Is Vaughan or Ballard the hero of the novel? Give examples of each character to help support your statements.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 758 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample