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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. After leaving the hospital, what does Vaughan show Ballard at Seagrave's house?

2. What is the effect on Ballard of Vaughan following him in his car?

3. What does Ballard notice about the crowd that gathered at the junction of the eastern descent ramp of the flyover?

4. According to Ballard, Helen was about to enter a period of what after her bereavement?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. 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?

8. Who are the spectators at the accident site involving the taxi and limo and what role does the scene have in the larger story?

9. How does Vaughan begin to change as the novel progresses?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the treatment of women in "Crash." Provide specific examples to support your statements.

1) How would you characterize Ballard's relationship with the women in his life?

2) What roles do the women embrace and what roles do they reject and why?

Essay Topic 2

How did readers respond to "Crash" when it was first published? Discuss the critical response of the novel, including reviews, interviews with Ballard, and other readers' response to the novel. How was the novel both vilified or censored as well as hailed by the reading public?

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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