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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. Where does Renton go after leaving his friend's flat at the beginning of London Crawling?

2. In Trainspotting at Leith Central Station, who does Begbie announce has AIDS?

3. Where is Renton headed at the end of the novel?

4. At the end of Easy Money for the Professionals, Begbie threatens to kill the boy if he does what?

5. Which relative of Spud's interrupts the celebration in Courting Disaster?

Short Essay Questions

1. What demand does Renton's father make of Renton on his second day in bed?

2. How does Alison and Kelly bond with two lesbians in Feeling Free?

3. What uncharacteristic moment occurs with Renton in Straight Dilemmas No. 1?

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

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

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

7. How does Renton and Sharon's relationship change in Bang to Rites?

8. Why does Begbie become enraged in Trainspotting at Leith Central Station?

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

10. Describe Spud's ill-fated night with Laura McEwan.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Being that the world of Trainspotting is one of degradation and drugs, death is a prominent part of the events it portrays. Discuss three characters that die in the novel, and in an essay, analyze the significance of their deaths. How does each character die, and what are the underlying sociological causes? How do others react to this death? Is there anything to be learned from the loss of a life in this world?

Part 1) Baby Dawn

Part 2) Billy

Part 3) Matty

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

The lingering fear of the heroin culture of Trainspotting is HIV/AIDS. Write an essay discussing the way AIDS affects the lives of three characters in the novel. How does each character contract the syndrome? Does he maintain his health? Is he alive at the end of the novel? Discuss the methods this character uses to cope with AIDS.

Part 1) Davie

Part 2) Tommy

Part 3) Matty

(see the answer keys)

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