76 pages 2 hours read

Lorraine Hansberry

A Raisin in the Sun

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 1959

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Reading, Discussion & Quiz Questions

Act I

READING CHECK

1. Where is A Raisin in the Sun set?

2. When is the check supposed to arrive?

3. What job does Travis want to get?

4. What does “graft” mean?

5. Who are Beneatha’s parents?

6. What is the source of the money that Ruth, Walter, and Beneatha discuss?

7. Who faints at the end of the first scene?

QUIZ

1. Why won’t Ruth wake Travis up earlier?

A) Walter and his friends stay up late talking in the room where Travis sleeps.

B) Travis hasn’t been feeling well, and Ruth is worried about him.

C) Travis has been grieving his grandfather, and Ruth feels sympathetic toward him.

D) Ruth wants to wake him earlier, but it would mess up their morning routine.

2. Why does Walter give Travis an extra fifty cents?

A) It is pocket change to him.

B) He doesn’t want Travis to know that their family struggles for money.

C) He wants Travis to pick up some milk after school.

D) He does it to spite Ruth.

3. Why does Walter get frustrated with Ruth when he brings up his idea to open a liquor store?

A) He doesn’t think that she understands how the system works when it comes to bribes.

B) He is fed up with their living situation and secretly wants a divorce.

C) He has already had a long morning and just wants her to agree with him.

D) He thinks women should support their husbands’ goals, but Ruth seems unsupportive.