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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Whose death does Ballard begin to think about in a "more calculated way" than the one Vaughan designed for a famous film actress?
(a) Catherine's.
(b) His.
(c) Helen's.
(d) Vaughan's.

2. Who does Vaughan tell Ballard that Seagrave may follow after disappearing in a wig and leopard-skin coat?
(a) Ballard.
(b) Vaughan.
(c) Helen.
(d) Catherine.

3. How old are the "sharp-faced airport whores" Vaughan is arguing with when Ballard comes out of the bar?
(a) "As old as Queen and country."
(b) "Barely older than schoolchildren."
(c) "Barely older than School marms."
(d) "As old as Queen Mum."

4. How does Seagrave preempt the "real death" that Vaughan reserved for himself?
(a) By driving Vaughan's Lincoln in Elizabeth Taylor's death.
(b) By wearing Vaughan's jacket and trousers in Elizabeth Taylor's death.
(c) By driving Elizabeth Taylor's limo in his own death.
(d) By wearing Elizabeth Taylor's wig and costume in his own death.

5. Who does Ballard describe as the "perfect forgery of an Ingres"?
(a) Renata.
(b) Vaughan.
(c) Seagrave.
(d) Catherine.

6. What does Vaughan pick up that has been left by the police at an accident sight?
(a) Flags.
(b) Tape.
(c) Chalk.
(d) Bags.

7. Why does Ballard feel "no trace of pity" for Gabrielle after they make love?
(a) Because they celebrated her crippled body.
(b) Because Gabrielle was responsible for her crippled body.
(c) Because they disregarded her crippled body.
(d) Because Gabrielle hated her crippled body.

8. What kind of alcohol does Ballard buy from the bar?
(a) Wine.
(b) Gin.
(c) Rum.
(d) Beer.

9. Where do Vaughan, Gabrielle, and Ballard visit at Earls Court?
(a) A motor show.
(b) A studio.
(c) A hospital.
(d) A research lab.

10. Besides reefer stubs, what else is in the overloaded ashtray in Vaughan's car?
(a) A condom.
(b) A tampon.
(c) A cervical cap.
(d) A diaphragm.

11. How many passengers get trapped in the limousine after the crash at the junction of the eastern descent ramp of the flyover?
(a) No passengers.
(b) Six passengers.
(c) Two passengers.
(d) One passenger.

12. Who does Ballard see on his balcony when he is caught in a traffic jam?
(a) Vaughan.
(b) Seagrave.
(c) Catherine.
(d) Renata.

13. What fantasies does Vaughan teach Ballard to visualize?
(a) Death and injuries Ballard always pitied.
(b) Death and injuries Ballard always feared.
(c) Death and injuries Ballard always desired.
(d) Death and injuries Ballard always despised.

14. After leaving the hospital, what does Vaughan show Ballard at Seagrave's house?
(a) A laboratory of blood samples.
(b) An album of accident photos.
(c) A film of car crashes.
(d) A museum of car parts.

15. After the simulated crash with the family of four and the motorcycle at the Road Research Laboratory, what does Vaughan tell Ballard he's always wanted to do?
(a) Drive a crashed car.
(b) Learn to fly.
(c) Film a famous crash.
(d) Become a researcher.

Short Answer Questions

1. At the Road Research Laboratory, when does Ballard feel his sense of disembodiment and unreality increase?

2. What do the junior pathologist, trainee radiologist, and service manager of a garage all have in common?

3. What lay in the dashboard locker below the instrument panel of the Citroen Pallas saloon car?

4. What happens to the young woman chauffeur of the government saloon on the Harlington clearway?

5. Ballard notes that most of the celebrities listed for imaginary crashes in Vaughan's questionnaire are what?

(see the answer keys)

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