A Raisin in the Sun Answers – Flashcards
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5. Who is Beneatha?
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She is Walter's sister who wants to become a doctor.
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6. Why was Mama getting a check for $10,000?
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It was money coming from her husband's life insurance policy.
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7. Why did Beneatha say she wouldn't marry George?
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She admitted that he was rich, but she thought he was shallow. She liked him well enough to go out with him, but she didn't love him.
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8. What was Beneatha's attitude towards God?
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She said she did not accept the idea of God -- "there is only man and it is he who makes miracles."
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9. What happened to Ruth at the end of Act I Scene One?
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She fainted.
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1. Who is Joseph Asagai?
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He is a school friend of Beneatha and an African intellectual.
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2. What did Ruth find out at the doctor's office?
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She was pregnant.
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3. Why is Asagai's present to Beneatha appropriate?
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He gave her clothing from Nigeria. She literally gets wrapped up in her current fad. It also foreshadows her putting on a new life.
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4. Why is Asagai's nickname appropriate?
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It means "One for Whom Bread - Food - Is Not Enough." It is appropriate because he as well as Beneatha and Walter want more from life than just survival. They want a better quality of life.
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5. What does Mama say is "dangerous"?
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She says it is dangerous "when a man goes outside his home to look for peace."
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6. Where did Ruth actually go instead of the doctor's office?
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She went to see a woman about having an abortion.
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7. Why did Mama call Walter a disgrace to his father's memory?
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He had become overly concerned with money and had lost his traditional family values, so much so that he didn't try to convince Ruth not to have an abortion.
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1. Why didn't Beneatha want to be a doctor anymore?
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She used to think that fixing people's ailments was the best thing to do. Now she thinks that physical ailments aren't the problem of society. People's hearts aren't true. She gives up on the human race and calls them "puny, small, and selfish." She sees no human battle worth fighting.
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2. How did Asagai define "idealists" and "realists"?
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"[Life] is simply a long line -- as in geometry, you know, one that reaches into infinity. And because we cannot see the end -- we also cannot see how it changes. And it is very odd but those who see the changes are called "idealists" -- and those who cannot, or refuse to think, they are the "realists."
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3. What does Asagai ask Beneatha to do?
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He asks her to marry him and return to Africa with him to live.
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4. What fault does Mama find with herself?
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She says she aimed too high -- had too-high dreams.
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5. What solution does Walter have?
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He thinks accepting the money from Lindner will solve their problem.
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6. Why didn't Walter take the money Lindner offered?
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Walter is a good, decent man underneath. His conscience and moral upbringing wouldn't let him ruin his family's pride.
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7. Did the Youngers stay or move?
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They did move.
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1. Who was Karl Lindner, and why did he visit the Youngers' house?
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He was from Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He was calling to ask the Youngers not to move into their white neighborhood. The association members were willing to pay the Youngers not to move in.
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2. What was Walter's reaction to Lindner?
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He told him to get out of their apartment.
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3. What presents did Mama get?
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She got gardening tools and a hat.
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4. What news did Bobo bring to Walter?
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He tells Walter that Willy took all of the money and left without a trace.
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1. How did Ruth find out Walter hadn't been going to work?
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Walter's boss called.
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2. Where had Walter been going instead of to work?
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He had been driving and walking and watching people.
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3. What did Mama do for Walter?
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She turned the remaining money over to him. She said he should use $3,000 for Beneatha's school, and that he could do whatever he wanted with the remainder.
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1. What was Beneatha's family doing when George came in?
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Beneatha was in Nigerian dress. Beneatha and Walter were dancing and singing Nigerian songs. They looked rather crazy, and Walter was quite drunk.
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2. What are "assimilationist Negroes"?
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"Someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself in the dominant, and in this case, oppressive culture."
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3. What did Mama do with her money?
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She bought (made a down payment on) a home.
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4. What was Walter's reaction to Mama's purchase? Ruth's reaction?
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Walter was very disappointed. Ruth was elated.
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