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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to Ballard, "For Vaughan, the car-crash and his own ______ had made their final marriage."
(a) Faith.
(b) Depression.
(c) Sexuality.
(d) Health.

2. What word does Ballard repeat several times in his description of the car crash at the beginning of the book?
(a) Stoic.
(b) Stylized.
(c) Strange.
(d) Static.

3. According to Ballard, what do the scars above his patella replicate?
(a) The handles for the air and rearview mirror.
(b) The keys for the ignition and the dashboard compartment.
(c) The knobs for the radio and emergency brakes.
(d) The switches for the windshield wipers and parking lights.

4. Who is injured at the stock-car races at the stadium in Northolt and taken to the hospital?
(a) Vaughan.
(b) Helen.
(c) Seagrave.
(d) Ballard.

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

6. After the crash, Ballard states that an "uneasy _____ carried me towards the hospital."
(a) Calm.
(b) Fear.
(c) Sadness.
(d) Euphoria.

7. Who is the driver parked behind Ballard at the scene of the accident that killed Helen's husband?
(a) The doctor who performed his surgery.
(b) The firemen who pulled him out of his car.
(c) The nurse from his room at the hospital.
(d) The doctor from Helen's room at the hospital.

8. 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.

9. When the young wife of the man killed in the crash with Ballard exits her car, what does she do?
(a) Laughs.
(b) Vomits.
(c) Screams.
(d) Urinates.

10. What is the name of Ballard's wife?
(a) Vera.
(b) Renata.
(c) Catherine.
(d) Helen.

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

12. The walls of Vaughan's apartment are covered with close-ups of whose body?
(a) Dr. Helen Remington's.
(b) James Ballard's.
(c) Elizabeth Taylor's.
(d) Marilyn Monroe's.

13. On their driving excursions to look for accident sites, what does Vaughan describe to Ballard?
(a) "Countless dreams of redemption."
(b) "Countless love affairs."
(c) "Countless regrets and disappointments."
(d) "Countless imaginary disasters."

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

15. Why did Ballard have his safety belt on when leaving his secretary, Renata, before the crash?
(a) To prevent being injured should he get into a car crash.
(b) To prevent him from the temptation of crashing into another car.
(c) To avoid getting a ticket from the police.
(d) To avoid her the embarrassment of having to embrace him.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of airline pilot removes the young wife from the crash with Ballard?

2. Who does Ballard call the "nightmare angel of expressways"?

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

4. What is the name of Catherine's secretary whom she asks Ballard to visualize her having intercourse with?

5. What did Vaughan steal from Ballard ten days before Vaughan's death?

(see the answer keys)

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