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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. In the parking lot outside the hospital, Ballard says that his hostility towards Vaughan gave way to what?
(a) Fear, even panic.
(b) Passion, even love.
(c) Deference, even subservience.
(d) Admiration, even envy.

3. What is Helen wearing when Ballard sees her in the yard at Northolt station?
(a) A green jacket.
(b) A white raincoat.
(c) A black suit.
(d) A red dress.

4. Who tells Ballard that there is "a certain moral virtue in being materialistic"?
(a) Vera Seagrave.
(b) Robert Vaughan.
(c) Helen Remington.
(d) Catherine Ballard.

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(a) The anesthetics are withdrawn.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

Short Answer Questions

1. Where do Helen and Ballard's trysts take place?

2. According to Ballard, all who knew Vaughan accepted what about a car-crash?

3. Who did Vaughan collide with two months earlier when he lurched from a concealed access road?

4. 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?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Ballard, Helen, and Vaughan react to Seagrave's accident at the stock-car races and why is it significant?

2. Describe Ballard and Catherine's marriage and explain its relevance to the novel.

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

4. Who is Elizabeth Taylor and what role does she play in the novel?

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

6. What is the point of view in "Crash"?

7. How does Dr. Robert Vaughan interrupt Ballard's rendezvous with the prostitute and why is it important?

8. What dominates Ballard's thoughts as he recovers in the hospital and why is it significant?

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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