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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. With whom does Renton crash when he comes to Scotland for Matty's funeral in A Present?

2. What narcotic mixture does Renton refuse in Straight Dilemmas No. 1?

3. Who does not come back for Matty's funeral?

4. As he slips in and out of consciousness in this chapter, what does Renton fear he might accidentally do?

5. Who helps Begbie with is drug deal in Easy Money for the Professionals?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe Sick Boy's escapade in Deid Dugs.

2. In Bad Blood, how does Alan Venters and Davie's relationship develop?

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

4. How does Matty die?

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

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

7. How does Renton end up in an all-night porno theater in London Crawling?

8. What precautions does Begbie take after the job in Easy Money for the Professionals?

9. How does Davie take revenge on Alan Venters in Bad Blood?

10. How does Renton feel about ripping off his mates at the end of the novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Selfishness is a constant theme of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting. Individuals forge friendships and relationships, but they hold their own self-interest far ahead of anyone else's well-being. Write an essay on the topic of selfishness, in three parts:

Part 1) Who does Sick Boy use over the course of Trainspotting? Discuss his relationship with Alison, his role as a pimp, and his treatment of Renton in his time of need. What goals does Sick Boy have as an individual, and who does he betray to achieve them?

Part 2) Discuss the role of Frank Begbie in the novel. Who does he use in order to find profit and pleasure in his life? What does he leave behind in order to live life unfettered? How does this reflect his values and objectives?

Part 3) In summation, discuss the final chapter of the novel. How and why does Renton betray all of his friends? What does he gain? How does he justify this betrayal in the closing moments of the novel?

Essay Topic 2

Trainspotting's prose often resembles a series of amusing or pathetic anecdotes related over a pint at a pub. Write an essay discussing how Welsh subverts the frame of the pub story. How does he intermingle the prurient with the profound? In the structure of the novel, how do individual anecdotes add up to something more in concert together? What is the end result of these tales?

Essay Topic 3

Trainspotting is a novel that exists resolutely in the nitty-gritty of working-class squalor. As such, Welsh regularly employs filthy and scatological imagery. Write an essay about three such instances. What is the nature of the filth portrayed? How does it relate to the narrative and themes of the novel? Is it presented straight or with humor, and do you think it is necessary or effective?

Part 1) The First Day of the Edinburgh Festival

Part 2) Traditional English Breakfast

Part 3) Eating Out

(see the answer keys)

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