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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Ballard recognize the man taking pictures of him as Vaughan?
(a) Because he is a TV star.
(b) Because he is a government official.
(c) Because he is a notorious criminal.
(d) Because he is a famous writer.

2. What premonitions does Ballard begin to have after being released from the hospital?
(a) The second coming of Jesus.
(b) The salvation of sinners everywhere.
(c) The return to a pre-industrial age.
(d) The end of the world by automobile.

3. What is the name of the park where Ballard and Catherine's apartment is located?
(a) Drake.
(b) Dresden.
(c) Drummond.
(d) Drayton.

4. When the young wife of the man killed in the crash with Ballard exits her car, what does she do?
(a) Urinates.
(b) Screams.
(c) Laughs.
(d) Vomits.

5. Who is the driver parked behind Ballard at the scene of the accident that killed Helen's husband?
(a) The doctor from Helen's room at the hospital.
(b) The nurse from his room at the hospital.
(c) The firemen who pulled him out of his car.
(d) The doctor who performed his surgery.

6. 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?
(a) Because the young wife's crying sounds like the girl's singing.
(b) Because the young wife's legs look like the girl's pirouette.
(c) Because the young wife's wounds look like the girl's scars.
(d) Because the young wife's expression looks like the girl's face.

7. Where is the film studio Ballard works for located?
(a) Shepperton.
(b) Salisbury.
(c) Swindon.
(d) Somerset.

8. As Ballard drives home with Catherine after being released from the hospital, how does the image of a car change for him after his accident?
(a) Its true nature had been exposed.
(b) Its purpose remained elusive.
(c) It became an object of fear.
(d) It contained multiple identities.

9. After the crash, Ballard states that an "uneasy _____ carried me towards the hospital."
(a) Calm.
(b) Euphoria.
(c) Sadness.
(d) Fear.

10. Why does Ballard visit the Northolt police pound?
(a) To pay a fine.
(b) To see the police.
(c) To see his car.
(d) To see Vaughan.

11. What did Vaughan rehearse for in the days before his death?
(a) A one-man show.
(b) His wedding.
(c) His own death.
(d) Ballard's murder.

12. Who witnessed Ballard inappropriately touch a flight attendant on an escalator and were on his flight to Orly?
(a) An American businessman and his wife.
(b) A Dutch businessman and his wife.
(c) A British businessman and his wife.
(d) A French businessman and his wife.

13. What word does Ballard repeat several times in his description of the car crash at the beginning of the book?
(a) Stylized.
(b) Stoic.
(c) Static.
(d) Strange.

14. According to Ballard, "For Vaughan, the car-crash and his own ______ had made their final marriage."
(a) Depression.
(b) Faith.
(c) Sexuality.
(d) Health.

15. Where do the stunt drivers at the stock-car races in the stadium at Northolt work?
(a) At the airport.
(b) At Shepperton Studios.
(c) At Road Research Laboratory.
(d) At the hospital.

Short Answer Questions

1. What kind of business has Catherine started up with one of her boyfriends?

2. According to Ballard, what do the scars above his patella replicate?

3. What is Ballard's "ironic gesture" to provoke Catherine and Renate, who don't want him to drive?

4. Where do Helen and Ballard's trysts take place?

5. What is the name of Catherine's secretary whom she asks Ballard to visualize her having intercourse with?

(see the answer keys)

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