CliffsNotes on

A Raisin in the Sun

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Play Summary

Lorraine Hansberry Biography

About A Raisin in the Sun

Summary and Analysis by Scene

Act I — Scene 1
Act I — Scene 2
Act II — Scene 1
Act II — Scene 2
Act II — Scene 3
Act III

Character List

Character Analysis

Ruth Younger
Travis Younger
Mama (Lena Younger)
Walter Lee Younger ("Brother")
Beneatha Younger
Joseph Asagai
George Murchison
Karl Lindner
Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. Wilhelmina Othella Johnson)
Bobo
The Two Moving Men
Willy
Big Walter

Critical Essays

Applying Literary Terms to A Raisin In The Sun
Thematic Structure of A Raisin In The Sun
Language and Style of A Raisin In The Sun
Three Versions of A Raisin In The Sun

Study and Homework Help

Full Glossary for A Raisin in the Sun
Quiz
Essay Questions

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Study and Homework Help

Quiz

1:  The Younger family is eagerly awaiting a $10,000 check from

a. Karl Lindner

b. Big Walter’s insurance

c. the lottery board

d. Walter’s bonus
2:  The Youngers live in a cramped apartment in

a. downtown Washington, D.C.

b. Queens, New York

c. an unidentified urban area

d. Southside Chicago
3:  Beneatha plans to study

a. medicine

b. law

c. business

d. teaching
4:  Walter Lee is employed as a

a. waiter

b. chauffeur

c. janitor

d. construction worker
5:  At the beginning of Act I, Scene 2, Ruth announces that she is

a. leaving Walter

b. enrolling in school herself

c. going to look for a job

d. pregnant
6:  Beneatha’s boyfriend, Joseph Asagai, is a college student from

a. Nigeria

b. South Africa

c. New York City

d. Benin
7:  In Act II, Scene I, Mama says that she has used some of the money to buy a house

a. down the street

b. with Mrs. Johnson

c. in an all-white neighborhood

d. for Ruth and Walter
8:  Beneatha’s other boyfriend, George Murchison, insults Walter by calling him

a. Prometheus

b. Booker T. Washington

c. Haile Selassie

d. a descendant of Chaka
9:  When Walter finally uses some of the money to invest in a liquor store, what happens?

a. The store is a huge success.

b. Mama refuses to let him back in the house.

c. Ruth leaves him.

d. Willy runs off with the money.
10:  Karl Lindner comes to the Younger’s house to

a. tell them where Travis is

b. bribe them into not moving

c. give Mama a housewarming present

d. fire Walter for being late to work
11:  At the end of the play, the Youngers decide to

a. stay in their small apartment

b. move to Clybourne Park

c. open a liquor store

d. use all the money toward Beneatha’s education
12:  Who said the following: “He finally came into his manhood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain.”

a. Ruth

b. Beneatha

c. Joseph Asagai

d. Mama
13:  Who said the following: “This morning I was lookin’ in the mirror . . . and thinking about it . . . . I’m thirty-five years old; I been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room.”

a. Walter Lee

b. Ruth

c. Beneatha

d. Mrs. Johnson
14:  Who said the following: “Who decides which women should wear pearls in this world?”

a. Ruth

b. Joseph Asagai

c. George Murchison

d. Walter Lee



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