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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. In Courting Disaster, Renton claims to have a passion for what philosopher?

2. How is Nina dressed at the cemetery?

3. What is Spud thinking about at the beginning of There Is a Light That Never Goes Out?

4. Who was Gi sleeping with when his wife discovered he was gay?

5. In the midst of his nausea, whom does Renton think may have secretly loved him?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Matty die?

2. How does Renton interact with his relatives at Billy's wake?

3. How does the morning of There Is a Light That Never Goes Out end?

4. How does the trial of Courting Disaster turn out for Renton and Spud?

5. How does Kelly take revenge on some business men in Eating Out?

6. What does Renton find at Johnny Swan's in A Leg-Over Situation?

7. Why does Renton feel bad at the end of The Elusive Mr. Hunt?

8. How does the drug deal in Station to Station go down?

9. In what state is Renton at the beginning of this chapter?

10. Why does Renton's father warn him in Bang to Rites?

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

The two primary settings of the novel are Leith and London. Write an essay comparing and contrasting these two locales. How is London dynamic and Leith distinctly static? Discuss the relative likelihood for heroin use in each of the settings. Which is more conducive to sobriety and why? Which major events occur in each, and how do these events come to define the world of this setting?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,018 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample