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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. Besides reefer stubs, what else is in the overloaded ashtray in Vaughan's car?

2. At the Road Research Laboratory, when does Ballard feel his sense of disembodiment and unreality increase?

3. How many passengers get trapped in the limousine after the crash at the junction of the eastern descent ramp of the flyover?

4. When Catherine asks Ballard where his car is after the police leave the studio parking lot, what does he tell her?

5. What fantasies does Vaughan teach Ballard to visualize?

Short Essay Questions

1. What kinds of photos are in the album Vaughan shows Ballard at Seagrave's house and what does Ballard notice about them?

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

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

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

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

8. 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?

9. What is the purpose of Vaughan's questionnaire?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Discuss the uses of technology in "Crash."

1) What is the role of technology in the characters' lives?

2) How do the characters respond to and identify with technology?

3) How is technology a metaphor for evolution?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss surveillance as a major theme in the novel by comparing two characters.

1) How do these characters survey others?

2) What are the motives for the characters' surveillance?

3) What do the characters learn by surveying others?

4) What devices, mechanical or otherwise, does Ballard use as instruments of surveillance?

(see the answer keys)

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