A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide Questions
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A Raisin in the Sun questions – Act I Answer using complete sentences
1. Describe the Younger home. How are the furnishings described? What does this say about their
apartment?
2. What is the setting for 1.1?
3. What kind of life has Ruth had? How do we know this
4. What is everyone in the family concerned with? When is it supposed to come?
5. What does Travis want that his mama won’t give him? Does he get it? How?
6. What kind of business deal does Walter want to enter into with his friends?
7. What does Walter argue is the problem with African American women/wives?
8. What kind of bathroom does the family use?
9. How did they get the money?
10. Describe Mama (pg. 12)
11. How does Mama feel about Walter’s business deal?
12. Why does Mama say Ruth should call in and say she has the flu?
13. How much money does the family get?
14. What does Mama want to do with the money?
15. How does Ruth describe life? How does this reflect society and how it relates to the Younger family at
the time?
16. What do the women feel is George Murchinson’s best quality?
17. To what does Mama compare the spirit of her children?
18. What is the setting of 1.11?
19. What is wrong with Ruth? Is she excited?
20. For what is Beneatha searching?
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A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide Questions
Name:
21. What issue in society is Hansberry addressing when Beneatha and Asagai talk about their relationship
(pg. 31)?
22. What does “Alaiyo” mean? What does this say about Beneatha’s character?
23. How do they react when Mama gets the check? Be specific and explain.
24. What are Walter and Mama’s definitions/views of life?
25. What is Ruth considering in regards to her pregnancy?
ACT II, Scene I
1. When does Act II begin? What is Beneatha doing as the first scene opens? What is she wearing?
2. How does the arrival of George Murchison change the mood of the scene?
3. Beneatha calls George an “assimilationist.” What does she mean by that?
4. What is Walter’s attitude toward George?
5. What is George’s attitude toward Walter?
6. How does Ruth try to ease Walter’s mood?
7. What evidence is there that Walter and Ruth still love each other, despite their problems?
8. What news does Mama break to the family in this scene?
9. How do Ruth and Walter react to Mama’s news? What does Walter accuse Mama of?
ACT II, Scene II
1. When does Scene II begin? In what condition is the apartment when Beneatha arrives home from a date
with George?
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A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide Questions
Name:
2. What sort of woman does George say he wants Beneatha to be? And why doesn’t George want to listen
to Beneatha’s ideas?
3. When Beneatha asks George why he goes to college, what is his reply?
4. After George leaves, Mama asks Beneatha if she had a good time on her date. Beneatha replies that
George is a fool. Why does she say that?
5. Why does Beneatha thank her mother
6. How does Ruth find out that Walter has not been to work for three days? What has Walter been doing
instead of going to work?
7. How does Mama react to Walter’s explanation of where he’s been? What does she give Walter, and how
does Walter react to being entrusted with it?
8. When Walter tells Travis that he wants to hand him the world, what sort of life is Walter envisioning for
his family?
ACT II, Scene III
1. Beneatha and Ruth are busy packing when Ruth tells Beneatha how happy she is with the change in
Walter. What are three examples that show Walter has changed in the past week?
2. Why does Mr. Lindner come to the Youngers’ apartment?
3. Why don’t the residents of Clybourne Park what the Youngers in their neighborhood?
4. How does Walter react to Lindner’s offer?
5. How does Walter respond to Mama’s determination?
6. What gifts does the family give Mama? Why are the gifts appropriate?
7. Why doesn’t Walter answer the door immediately when the bell rings?
8. Who is at the door? What news does this person bring, and how does Walter react to the news?
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A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide Questions
Name:
9. How does Mama react, and to whom does she turn in this time of trouble?
Act III questions - Answer the following questions using complete sentences:
1. When Asagai arrives at the apartment, how does his mood contract with Walter’s and Beneatha’s?
2. How has the loss of the money changed Beneatha’s optimism? What does she tell Asagai? What is
Asagai’s response?
3. How does Asagai define idealists and realists? Which group does he prefer to be associated with?
4. What alternative view of the future does Asagai offer to put Beneatha’s depression in perspective?
5. Asagai leaves and Walter comes into the living room. How does Beneatha attack Walter? What does
Walter do?
6. How has Mama’s physical appearance changed? Why does Mama put her plant back on the windowsill?
7. Who does Mama blame for the current situation, and how does she plan to deal with it?
8. Up until now, Ruth has been the practical one. How does she react to Mama’s new attitude?
9. When Walter arrives back home, what does he say he has done? What does he plan to do?
10. Describe Walter’s new view of life as being divided between the “takers” and the “tooken.”
11. What does Mama mean when she tells Walter that if he takes Lindner’s money he will have nothing left
inside?
12. Beneatha says Walter is no brother of hers. What lesson does Mama have to remind Beneatha about?
13. When Lindner arrives, why does Mama insist that Travis stay in the room?
14. What does Walter tell Lindner? Why?
15. Why does Lindner decide to appeal to Mama? What is her response?
16. What is the importance of having Mama return to the empty apartment to grab her plant?
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