Caitlin Carney 

How well do you know contemporary Scottish literature? Quiz

You might be brilliant on Burns and superb on Scott, but how much do you know about the Caledonian books of recent years? It's Scottish Book Week, so high time you checked
  
  


  1. The dark energy of Irvine Welsh's 1993 debut made him a literary star. But which drug fuels Trainspotting?

    1. Cocaine

    2. Heroin

    3. Cannabis

    4. Ecstasy

  2. The Scots term 'makar' dates back to the 15th century. But who was made Makar in 2004, when the Scottish Executive appointed a national poet?

    1. Edwin Morgan

    2. Liz Lochhead

    3. Jackie Kay

    4. Carol Ann Duffy

  3. Born in Aberdeen, Kerry Hudson's 2012 debut novel is an account of a childhood in squalid Scottish council flats. But what's the title?

    1. Tony Hogan Stole Me A Knickerbocker Glory Before He Bought My Ma

    2. Tony Hogan Bought Me A Banana Split and He Stole My Ma

    3. Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice Cream Cone Before He Stole My Ma

    4. Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma

  4. Several of Alan Warner's novels are set in and around a town known as "The Port". On which real town is it based?

    1. Aviemore

    2. Oban

    3. Helensburgh

    4. Stranraer

  5. Liz Lochhead isn't only a poet. Which monarch did she put on stage at the National Theatre of Scotland?

    1. Elizabeth II

    2. Henry VIII

    3. Mary, Queen of Scots

    4. Bonnie Prince Charlie

  6. The investigative journalist Jack Parlabane features in five of Christopher Brookmyre's novels. But which book marked his first appearance?

    1. Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks

    2. A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away

    3. Quite Ugly One Morning

    4. All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye

  7. The threat of violence is ever present in Julia Donaldson's classic, The Gruffalo, but which gritty subject did she tackle in her 2009 YA debut, Running on the Cracks?

    1. Mental illness

    2. Bullying

    3. Bereavement

    4. Divorce

  8. At Alexander McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, who is Mma Ramotswe's secretary?

    1. Mr JLB Matekoni

    2. Mr Polopetsi

    3. Violet Sephotho

    4. Mma Grace Makutsi

  9. Iain Banks died in 2013, just before the publication of his last novel. What was the title?

    1. The Quarry

    2. The Wasp Factory

    3. Canal Dreams

    4. Dead Air

  10. What did Carol Ann Duffy commemorate with her poem Rings?

    1. The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton

    2. Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee

    3. 2012 London Olympics

    4. 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Solutions

1:B, 2:A, 3:D, 4:B, 5:C, 6:C, 7:A, 8:D, 9:A, 10:A

Scores

  1. 2 and above.

    Oh dear. Not exactly "Towering in gallant fame", Sassenach – is your heart brave enough to try again?

  2. 4 and above.

    "Land o' my high endeavour" - you tried, certainly. But maybe you can try again and get a better score …

  3. 8 and above.

    "High may your proud standard gloriously wave" – and rightly so! Excellent score.
 

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