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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 Bang to Rites, who does Renton decide is most responsible for Billy's death?

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

3. What pounces on Renton in a hallucination in this chapter?

4. What arbitrary though does Spud have during the funeral in Memories of Matty?

5. From where are Renton's relatives?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Billy Renton die?

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

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

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

5. Describe the interchange Renton has with an old schoolmate at the end of this chapter.

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay about women in Trainspotting. Choose three women and discuss their place in the coterie of junkies and loser who comprise the center of the novel. How do they become attached to the group? Are they repelled by the drug-use or part of it? What do they lose within the group and what do they gain? Are any of them particularly well-defined as individuals?

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

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?

(see the answer keys)

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