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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, Helen was about to enter a period of what after her bereavement?
(a) Promiscuity.
(b) Celibacy.
(c) Bliss.
(d) Isolation.

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

3. Ballard sees that next to the photos of various wounds from Vaughan's questionnaire, there are details of what?
(a) The portion of the car that caused the injury.
(b) The person's date of birth and death.
(c) The drugs used to treat the injury.
(d) The make and model of the car.

4. At the Road Research Laboratory, when does Ballard feel his sense of disembodiment and unreality increase?
(a) When the cars crash.
(b) When the film plays.
(c) When Vaughan appears.
(d) When the visitors arrive.

5. According to Ballard, each of Gabrielle's body was a "ripening anthology of ______possibilities."
(a) Passive.
(b) Perverse.
(c) Potent.
(d) Practical.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do the police signal to Vaughan when Ballard and Vaughan leave Ballard's studio?

2. According to Vaughan, who has never been in a major crash so "everything lies in the future for her?"

3. What topic does Ballard realize he never discussed with Helen?

4. Whose body does Ballard visualize injured in a series of accidents at various stages of her life?

5. What is the name of the avenue that Ballard and Vaughan drive along with the two airport prostitutes?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do the prostitutes Vaughan picks up begin to change in appearance and why is it significant?

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

3. Why does Ballard begin to drive through the city in search of Vaughan?

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

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

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

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

8. At Seagrave's, what does Ballard deduce about Vaughan's photographs of Elizabeth Taylor and provides insight into why Vaughan followed Ballard?

9. How does Ballard respond to Vaughan's request to give one of the questionnaires to Elizabeth Taylor and what does it show about his character?

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

(see the answer keys)

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