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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 pounces on Renton in a hallucination in this chapter?

2. In Junk Dilemmas No. 67, Dennis Ross OD'ed on a mixture of heroin and what?

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

4. Why is Kelly angry at Allison at the beginning of Feeling Free?

5. What lie does Davie tell Venters before killing him in Bad Blood?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Essay Topic 2

Throughout the novel, Welsh juxtaposes the somber and the irreverent. In an essay, discuss three instances in which a moment of deep gravity is undercut by humor or some other undermining element? Why do you think Welsh chooses to undermine his own emotional moments? What is he indicating about life and the bonds that connect us?

Essay Topic 3

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?

(see the answer keys)

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