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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. According to Ballard, "It isn't sex that Vaughan is interested in, but _______."
(a) Life.
(b) Death.
(c) Violence.
(d) Technology.

2. How does Vaughan position himself and Catherine in the backseat while Ballard watches them have sex?
(a) In the same posture as the diplomat and young woman.
(b) In the same posture as Elizabeth Taylor and her husband.
(c) In the same posture as Ballard and Helen.
(d) In the same posture as Vaughan and the prostitute.

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

4. What does Vaughan ask Ballard to do when they got to Earls Court?
(a) To take pictures of Gabrielle.
(b) To wait for Gabrielle.
(c) To walk with Gabrielle.
(d) To undress Gabrielle.

5. According to Vaughan, why is it important for him to have Elizabeth Taylor fill out his questionnaire?
(a) Because she is in all of the subjects fantasies.
(b) Because none of the subjects named her in their fantasies.
(c) Because she has been in a car crash.
(d) Because she has never been in a car crash.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Ballard describe as the "perfect forgery of an Ingres"?

2. Why does Ballard feel "no trace of pity" for Gabrielle after they make love?

3. Whose death does Ballard begin to think about in a "more calculated way" than the one Vaughan designed for a famous film actress?

4. Why does Ballard adjust the rear view mirror as he drives with Vaughan and the two airport prostitutes?

5. What do the subjects who completed Vaughan's questionnaire all have in common?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is Elizabeth Taylor shooting at the studio where Ballard works and how is it significant?

2. When Ballard and Vaughan arrive at the accident site involving a minor accident, what do they discover?

3. Describe Catherine's fantasies about Vaughan, how they pertain to Ballard, and their impact on her and Ballard's marriage.

4. How does Gabrielle respond to Ballard's staring at the scars on her legs and how does Ballard interpret her response?

5. What do Ballard and Vaughan do after they pick up two prostitutes and why is it relevant to the larger story?

6. Where do Catherine and Vaughan have sex and why is it significant?

7. Why does J.G. Ballard portray Vaughan's self-stimulation in the vehicle where a dentist recently died?

8. What is Ballard's response to Catherine sleeping with Vaughan?

9. What type of questions from Vaughan's questionnaire is Ballard specifically drawn to?

10. Why is Seagrave's disappearance important to the plot?

(see the answer keys)

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