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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Vaughan pick up that has been left by the police at an accident sight?

2. Ballard sees that next to the photos of various wounds from Vaughan's questionnaire, there are details of what?

3. At the Road Research Laboratory, who does Helen stare at "almost as if they were patients whom she hoped to treat"?

4. Who wears a back brace, steel clamps and has gas bacillus scars on her kneecaps?

5. In Ballard's last days with Vaughan, they no longer drive the motorway searching for accidents, but do what instead?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is Ballard attracted to Gabrielle?

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

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

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

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

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

7. What does Ballard think of when he introduces Catherine to Vaughan and why is it relevant?

8. How does Vaughan pose the prostitutes for his photographs and why?

9. Why doesn't Ballard intervene on Elizabeth Taylor's behalf when he knew what Vaughan was capable of attempting to hurt her?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare Vaughan and Ballard as characters. Define their major character traits and discuss their similarities and differences. What is the nature of their relationship? Is Vaughan or Ballard the hero of the novel? Give examples of each character to help support your statements.

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

Compare and contrast Ballard, the author, with his eponymous character.

1) What are the similarities and differences between the author and his creation?

2) Why did Ballard name his protagonist after himself?

(see the answer keys)

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