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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. What happened the last time Begbie started a fight?

2. How is Billy connected to the character's in previous chapters?

3. At the end of The Glass, Renton reflects that he spent much of his childhood doing what?

4. Describe Renton's relationship with Hazel.

5. Why is getting a cab to Swannie's a difficulty in The Skag Boys?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the activities of the gang in Grieving and Mourning in Port Sunshine.

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

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

4. How does Spud get in a brawl in Na Na and Other Nazis?

5. What sadistic joke does Johnny Swan play in The Skag Boys?

6. What does Renton slowly realize has happened at the beginning of It Goes Without Saying?

7. How do Renton and Sick Boy pick up girls in In Overdrive?

8. Why are the mates made anxious by Begbie's plans for this chapter?

9. Describe Renton and Spuds' tiff and reconciliation in this chapter.

10. Why is Tommy worried about his girlfriend in Scotland Takes Drugs in Psychic Defense?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about the other drugs of the novel besides heroin. While heroin is presented as a life choice unto itself, what other stimulants do characters choose? How do Tommy, Begbie, and Billy add spice to their mundane lives? Discuss how Welsh presents these activities and substances, and whether he presents them as more or less dangerous than smack?

Essay Topic 2

Trainspotting takes place in a specific time and place: Edinburgh in the mid- to late-eighties. This is a period marked by civil strife between right and left in the era of IRA and Thatcher. Write an essay about three ways in which the political pervades the narrative:

Part 1) Discuss the rivalry between the Hibs and the Hearts. How do these two football clubs represent two ideologies in this era? Which club do the mates of Trainspotting support, and what does this say about their understanding of the United Kingdom?

Part 2) What happens to Spud and his Uncle Dode when they cross paths with skinheads in the novel? Discuss what challenges Dode has faced in Leith and why. How are these challenges typified in this interaction with the skinheads?

Part 3) Discuss Renton's reaction to his brother Billy's death. How does he connect the death to racism and privilege in a stratified United Kingdom? What does Renton feel about Thatcher, Union, and his Glasgow relatives?

Essay Topic 3

Trainspotting, in many ways, resembles a collection of short stories. It follows several key characters but occasionally diverts to a seemingly unrelated narrative. Write an essay about two of these chapters:

Part 1) Describe the narrative of Grieving and Mourning in Port Sunshine. How are these characters connected to the other characters of the rest of the novel? Thematically, what is discusses in the chapter, and how does this relate to other chapters?

Part 2) Discuss the narrative of Bad Blood. Who is Davie, and how has he appeared in the rest of the novel? Describe the themes covered in Davie's story, and how the tone of the piece fits with the rest of the novel.

(see the answer keys)

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