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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. Why can Gav and Tommy not enjoy their drink in Her Man?

2. From whose point-of-view is Inner Shitty?

3. What substance does Mike Forrester give Renton instead of smack in The First Day of the Edinburgh Festival?

4. When is the only time that Spud drinks with Matty?

5. In It Goes Without Saying, who thinks the group should leave the flat?

Short Essay Questions

1. How do Spud and Renton commiserate at the club?

2. How does Renton almost lose his opium suppositories in The First Day of the Edinburgh Festival?

3. How do the junkies react to the tragedy that occurs in It Goes Without Saying?

4. Why does Stevie have a wonderful New Years despite getting punched?

5. How does Renton play his interviewer in Speedy Recruitment?

6. Why do the mates decide to go to the Meadows?

7. What does Renton realize about Begbie in The Glass?

8. How is Begbie's home-life portrayed at the beginning of Inner Shitty?

9. Why is Stevie sad on New Years?

10. How does Renton meet Dianne?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Heroin is a powerful and all-consuming drug, and according to Renton, it is a life choice. In an essay, discuss the effect trying to get clean from heroin has on the characters of the novel. How does their worldview shift, and what do they use to fill the hole left by the drug? How often do characters relapse in the novel? How often does life crash down on them as a result of the drug?

Essay Topic 2

Write an essay on the subject of nonparticipation in modern life. To what extent are all of the characters in Trainspotting choosing not to participate in life? What are they distinctly trying to avoid? What pain and disappointment are they wary of? How have the major characters in the novel coped to avoid maintaining ties with each other and family and to avoid having jobs?

Essay Topic 3

Mark Renton is clearly the protagonist of Trainspotting, in that the reader most frequently shares his emotional life. Write an essay about three of his experiences and how the reader learns a lesson in surrogate:

Part 1) Why does Renton give Tommy his first hit of heroin, and is he aware of the peril involved? Discuss the clear-headedness of this moment and Renton's culpability in what follows. How does the inhumanity of this choice lead to moments of deep empathy later?

Part 2) Discuss Renton's worldview throughout the novel. What does he feel about friendship, and how does this color his attitude toward his mates? What role does heroin play in this worldview? Explore the transition of Renton out of this worldview.

Part 3) Discuss the final passages of the novel. Why does Renton choose to betray his mates in the final moment? What does he gain from it, and what introspection does he offer about the ramifications of the decision?

(see the answer keys)

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