‘TRASH’ Inference Questions – Focus on
the IB Themes
EXTRACT 1: Behala Dumpsite
Raphael had worked on the dumpsite for as long as he could remember. Every morning,
before the sun rose above the city skyline, trucks arrived carrying another mountain of
rubbish. Hundreds of people rushed forward with hooks, sacks, and bare hands, searching for
anything valuable.
The smell was impossible to describe. Some days it seemed to hang in the air like a heavy
blanket. Other days, the wind carried it across the city where people complained for a few
minutes before returning to their comfortable lives.
For the people of Behala, there was no escape.
Raphael worked beside Gardo, sorting plastic from paper. Around them, younger children
searched through the waste while older workers carried heavy sacks to weighing stations.
Everyone knew their role.
Suddenly, a new truck arrived.
The crowd surged forward. Competition was fierce because a good find could mean enough
money for food. Raphael pushed through a pile of broken furniture and torn cardboard.
Something caught his eye.
It was a leather wallet.
At first, it seemed ordinary. But inside was more money than Raphael had ever held in his
hands.
He glanced around nervously.
People often said that luck never stayed long in Behala.
As he slipped the wallet into his pocket, he noticed police vehicles entering the landfill. That
was unusual. The police rarely visited unless they wanted something.
A feeling of unease settled over him.
Nearby, workers continued their search as though nothing had happened. Children laughed.
Families called to one another. Smoke rose from cooking fires.
Despite the poverty and hardship, Behala was still a community.
Raphael looked towards the city. Tall buildings stood beyond the landfill, their windows
shining in the sunlight. The distance between the city and Behala seemed much greater than a
few kilometres.
For the first time, he wondered whether one discovery could change everything.
Tier 1 (Moderate)
Identity
1. Why does Raphael react cautiously after finding the wallet?
Experiences
2. What does the description of the landfill suggest about Raphael's daily life?
Human Ingenuity
3. Why have workers developed specific roles on the dumpsite?
Social Organisation
4. What does the contrast between Behala and the city reveal about society?
Sharing the Planet
5. What environmental issues can be inferred from the setting?
Integrated Themes
6. Why might the wallet represent more than money to Raphael?
Tier 2 (Difficult)
Identity
1. How has growing up in Behala shaped Raphael's view of opportunity?
Experiences
2. Why does the author describe both hardship and laughter within the community?
Human Ingenuity
3. What does the organisation of work on the dumpsite suggest about survival strategies?
Social Organisation
4. How does the physical distance between Behala and the city symbolise social
inequality?
Sharing the Planet
5. How does the landfill highlight global challenges related to waste and consumption?
Integrated Themes
6. How does the wallet act as a catalyst for potential change in Raphael's life?
EXTRACT 2: Rat's Secret
Rat preferred the rooftops.
From above, the city looked different. The narrow streets, crowded markets, and busy roads
seemed smaller when viewed from a distance.
He moved quickly across the roofs, carrying a small package hidden inside his shirt.
Few people noticed him.
That was one advantage of being invisible.
Most adults ignored street children. Shop owners chased them away. Police officers rarely
bothered to learn their names.
Rat had learned that survival depended on observation.
He noticed which market stalls threw away food, which buildings left doors unlocked, and
which streets were safest after dark.
Today, however, he had a different mission.
The package contained information that could expose powerful people.
Rat did not fully understand everything written on the papers, but he understood enough to
know they were dangerous.
Below him, expensive cars moved through wide streets lined with trees. Not far away,
children searched through rubbish for food.
The contrast was impossible to ignore.
As he climbed onto another rooftop, he paused to watch smoke rising from the dumpsite in
the distance.
That was where people expected him to stay.
Poor. Invisible. Forgotten.
But Rat knew something important.
People often underestimated those who had the least.
And sometimes, that was their greatest mistake.
Tier 1 (Moderate)
Identity
1. Why does Rat describe being "invisible" as an advantage?
Experiences
2. What skills has Rat developed through his experiences on the streets?
Human Ingenuity
3. How does Rat demonstrate resourcefulness?
Social Organisation
4. What does the contrast between wealthy and poor areas suggest?
Sharing the Planet
5. What does the recurring image of the dumpsite suggest about environmental
inequality?
Integrated Themes
6. Why does Rat believe powerful people underestimate him?
Tier 2 (Difficult)
Identity
1. How has society's treatment of Rat influenced his self-perception?
Experiences
2. What can readers infer about the challenges faced by street children?
Human Ingenuity
3. How does Rat transform disadvantage into strength?
Social Organisation
4. What criticism of social systems is implied through Rat's observations?
Sharing the Planet
5. How does the setting reflect unequal access to resources?
Integrated Themes
6. Why is Rat particularly well-equipped to protect the information he carries?
EXTRACT 3: The Money in the Wind
The storm was approaching.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky as Raphael, Gardo, Rat, and Pia climbed the slope of the
landfill carrying heavy sacks.
The wind grew stronger with every step.
Below them, hundreds of families were preparing for the rain. Children ran between shelters
while adults secured roofs with rope and plastic sheets.
The sacks contained money.
More money than the boys had ever imagined.
For a moment, Raphael thought about what it could buy. A clean house. New clothes. A
future far away from the smell of rubbish.
But he also remembered the people below.
The families who shared food when others had none.
The neighbours who repaired damaged homes together.
The children who worked every day just to survive.
Rat untied one of the sacks.
Immediately, the wind caught the banknotes.
They rose into the air like birds.
At first, nobody noticed.
Then someone shouted.
People looked up.
Money drifted across the landfill, landing on rooftops, pathways, and piles of rubbish.
A cheer spread through the crowd.
Children chased the notes. Adults laughed in disbelief.
For a few moments, the landfill felt transformed.
Raphael watched the scene quietly.
The money could never solve every problem.
It could not erase corruption.
It could not remove the mountains of waste surrounding Behala.
But perhaps it could offer something equally important.
Hope.
As the storm finally broke overhead, the four friends turned away and began walking towards
a different future.
Tier 1 (Moderate)
Identity
1. Why does Raphael think about the community before keeping the money?
Experiences
2. What does the reaction of the crowd reveal about life in Behala?
Human Ingenuity
3. Why might the boys choose this unusual method of distributing the money?
Social Organisation
4. How does the extract show cooperation within the community?
Sharing the Planet
5. What role does the landfill setting play in shaping people's lives?
Integrated Themes
6. Why is "hope" presented as being as important as money?
Tier 2 (Difficult)
Identity
1. How does Raphael's decision reflect his values and sense of identity?
Experiences
2. How have the boys' experiences influenced their understanding of fairness?
Human Ingenuity
3. In what ways does distributing the money through the wind demonstrate creative
problem-solving?
Social Organisation
4. What does the extract suggest about the relationship between community and
survival?
Sharing the Planet
5. How does the landfill function as both a physical setting and a symbol?
Integrated Themes
6. How does this ending challenge stereotypes about poverty and wealth?
IB DP Language B Extension
Paper 1–Style Written Response (250–300 words)
"How does Andy Mulligan use the experiences of young people in Trash to explore the
themes of identity, social organisation, and human ingenuity?"