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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. Who give Vaughan a set of passkeys so that he could take cars from the airport parking lots?

2. When Ballard drives home with Catherine and Vaughan in the backseat, what does he notice for the first time since his release from the hospital?

3. Where are Ballard, Catherine, and Vaughan when Catherine and Vaughan have sex in the backseat?

4. According to Ballard, "Above all, the apartment was dominated by Vaughan's evident _____."

5. What kind of equipment does Vaughan have in his apartment?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Why does Ballard begin to drive through the city in search of Vaughan?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the role of fame in the novel?

1) How does Vaughan use his celebrity status in the novel?

2) Why is Vaughan and Seagrave obsessed with famous figures?

3) What is the connection between immortality and fame?

Essay Topic 2

In "Crash," both Helen's husband and Vaughan die early in the novel. Ballard's recollections of Vaughan and meeting him through his accident that killed Helen's husband can be seen as a sort of elegy as he grieves for both himself (in being accountable for another person's death) as well as for his friend. Choose 3 major scenes and discuss the way he expresses his grief.

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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