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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

4. According to the narrator, with whom did Vaughan want to die in a collision?
(a) Elizabeth Taylor.
(b) Dr. Helen Remington.
(c) Catherine Ballard.
(d) James Ballard.

5. According to Ballard, what happens on the fourth day in the hospital "for no evident reason"?
(a) The nurses harrass him.
(b) The doctors don't come.
(c) The anesthetics are withdrawn.
(d) The IV fluids are taken.

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

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

8. 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.

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

10. What do all the cars Ballard drives remind him of?
(a) The current drivers and passengers.
(b) The dead drivers and passengers.
(c) The previous drivers and passengers.
(d) The would-be drivers and passengers.

11. Out of three "airport whores" Ballard comes across at a traffic island, which one does he pick up?
(a) The eldest one.
(b) The nicest one.
(c) The youngest one.
(d) The prettiest one.

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

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

14. Why would Vaughan arrange women in stylized positions in cars?
(a) To paint them.
(b) To write about them.
(c) To film them.
(d) To photograph them.

15. What does Ballard do for the week after being released from the hospital?
(a) Sits on the veranda.
(b) Walks around the neighborhood.
(c) Sleeps on the couch.
(d) Watches television.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who is Francis Waring, according to Ballard?

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

3. 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?

4. Where does the fatal car crash that nearly misses Elizabeth Taylor occur?

5. As Ballard waits for someone to reassure him after the crash, what does he imagine firemen doing with carbon dioxide sprays?

(see the answer keys)

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