View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Who did the man killed in the car crash with Ballard work for?
(a) A British travel agency.
(b) A German weapons producer.
(c) An Italian car manufacturer.
(d) An American food company.

6. 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.

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

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

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

10. "Crash" is set in what city?
(a) London.
(b) New York.
(c) Toronto.
(d) Paris.

11. What does Ballard realize about his first meeting with Vaughan?
(a) That his motives for following him have nothing to do with revenge or blackmail.
(b) That his motive for following him has something to do with revenge, but not blackmail.
(c) That his motive for following him has something to do with blackmail, but not revenge.
(d) That his motives for following him have everything to do with revenge and blackmail.

12. Where do Helen and Ballard's trysts take place?
(a) Near the airport.
(b) In Ballard's car.
(c) At a hotel.
(d) In Helen's apartment.

13. According to Ballard, what would Ballard and Vaughan listen to on their way to accident sites?
(a) Police broadcasts.
(b) BBC news.
(c) Nothing.
(d) Music.

14. Why does Ballard visit the Northolt police pound?
(a) To pay a fine.
(b) To see the police.
(c) To see his car.
(d) To see Vaughan.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What premonitions does Ballard begin to have after being released from the hospital?

2. Why does Ballard recognize the man taking pictures of him as Vaughan?

3. What kind of car does Catherine drive?

4. According to the narrator, with whom did Vaughan want to die in a collision?

5. According to Ballard, "For Vaughan, the car-crash and his own ______ had made their final marriage."

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 561 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample