View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Ballard, why does the young wife who is removed from her car after the crash resemble a "mentally defective girl" he once saw perform in a play?

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

3. In the parking lot outside the hospital, Ballard says that his hostility towards Vaughan gave way to what?

4. When Ballard is lifted onto the stretcher after the crash, how does he feel?

5. What does Ballard do for the week after being released from the hospital?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Dr. Robert Vaughan wanted by the police and how is it significant?

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

3. Where does Ballard take Renata after his release from the hospital and why?

4. Who is Karen and why is she significant?

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

6. How does Ballard regard his accident and why is it significant?

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

8. What kind of car does Ballard buy after his accident and what does it signify?

9. How does Dr. Helen Remington react to Ballard when he tries to speak to her in the hospital corridor?

10. Why does Ballard wear a seat belt when he crashes his car and how is it significant?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Ballard details the urban landscape throughout the novel, from the car impound to the airport flyover, the abandoned lot to the parking garage. Choose 2 urban landscapes and discuss their purpose in the novel. What do they represent for the characters? How do the characters respond to these landscapes?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss Catherine in "Crash." As Ballard's wife, she plays a critical role in the novel. What motivates her as a character? Is she a flat or round character and why?

Essay Topic 3

How does J.G. Ballard use language in the novel? How would you characterize the tone and style of the language? Support your statements with examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 781 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample