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RAISIN IN THE SUN Act I
1. What do we learn about the family, just by observing their living room?
2. The first act focuses on the expected insurance check for
$10,000.00. What would each person like to do with the money?
Mama Ruth Walter Beneatha Travis
3. How has the money affected the relationship between Walter and Ruth?
between Walter and Beneatha? between Mama and her children?
4. Both Walter and Beneatha express their restlessness in different ways.
What do they seem to be searching for? Walter: Beneatha:
5. How do their dreams clash?
6. What is the source of Mama’s strength?
7. Why is her feeble plant so important to her?
8. Define: assimilation, (as used in the book).
9. There lies a great irony in the fact that the family finally
achieves “wealth” only because of the death of one member of the family.
Discuss Mama’s reaction to the check when it finally does arrive.
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RAISIN IN THE SUN Act II
1. Ruth’s pregnancy becomes a source of conflict in the second act.
Walter, who is struggling to “breathe” himself, and Ruth, who hates ghetto
life, are both aware of the folly of brining still another child into what
they have come to believe is a hopeless situation. Why?
2. With whom do you agree? Why?
3. How does each member of the family react to Mama’s decision to make a
down payment on a house in an all white neighborhood? Ruth Walter Beneatha
4. Why does she buy the house?
5. How does she think the house will solve their problems?
6. Why does Walter ignore his job and hang around the bar?
7. How do they each react to the lawyer’s visit? Mama Ruth Walter Beneatha
8. Why does Mama finally decide to turn over the remaining $6,500.00 to
Walter?(Act II, scene ii)
9. Discuss question 8. in terms of Mama’s comment: “I been wrong
son. I been doing to you what the rest of the world been to you.” (Act II,
scene ii)
10. How do you feel about the lawyer’s statement that: “People get
along better when they share a common background…race prejudice simply
doesn’t enter into it…Negro families are happier when they live in their own
communities.”
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RAISIN IN THE SUN Act III
1. When Walter learns he has lost the $6500, his self respect
disintegrates. How do the other members of the family react?
Mama Ruth Beneatha
2. Walter comments that the world is divided between the takers and
those that get “tooken.” How does this affect his decision to accept the
lawyer’s bribe to stay away from Clybourne Park?
3. Why does Walter’s decision symbolize death to the rest of the family?
4. Mama says that: “We never been that poor, that dead inside. We
ain’t never took no money from no one by way of saying we ain’t fit to walk
the earth.” Walter counters by saying that: “He who takes the most is the
smartest and it don’t matter how.” Who do you agree with?
5. Why do you agree with the person of your choice from question 4.?
6. Can you defend Walter’s position based on his recent experience with
Willy? How?
7. Mama says to Beneatha (about Walter): “The time to love somebody is
not when they done good, but when they at their lowest, and can’t find their
way no more.” What does she mean?
8. Why does Mama insist that Travis stay to hear Walter talk to the
lawyer?
9. Throughout the play, Walter equates freedom with money. How do his
ideas differ from the rest of the family?
10. Do his ideas change at all? How? When?
11. Just before Mama leaves the apartment for the last time, she says to
Ruth: “He came into his manhood today. Kinda like the rainbow after the
rain.” In what sense has Walter come into his manhood?
12. The last thing she takes with her is her plant, the plant that she
equates with her family, because, like its members, it “grew without
sunlight.” What does Mama mean?
13. What is the significance of the title?
14. How do you feel about Walter’s final statement to the lawyer: “We
decided to move into our house, because my father earned it.”
Induction
1. What does "induction " mean?
2. What purpose does the induction serve?
3. Who are: Christopher Sly
Hostess
Lord
4. What is the setting of the induction?
5. What tricks are the huntsmen playing on Christopher Sly?
6. a) What is the page's role?
b) How does Sly react?
7. What play is to be performed for Christopher Sly?
Act I
1.What is the setting of the play?
2.Why is Lucentio in Padua?
Who is Lucentio’s father?______________________
3.What is Baptista Minola’s wish concerning his daughters marriages?
4.What is Lucentio’s scheme to marry Bianca?
5.Identify each character:
Bianca
Katherine
Baptista
Lucentio
Tranio
Hortensio
Gremio
Biondello
Act I scene 2
6.A. Where is Petruchio from? ___________________
B. Why has Petruchio come to Padua?
7.What is the only consideration of Petruchio in terms of a future wife?
8.What plan does Hortensio suggest that will introduce Petruchio to Katherine
and will allow him to see Bianca?
Act II
1. Petruchio outlines his battle plans withy Kate. What methods will he
use? Find quotations from the text that describe his plan.
2. A. How do Kate and Petruchio react to each other?
(a) How does Petruchio say Kate acted when they were alone together for
the first time?
(b) Why is Petruchio's story abot Kate's agreement to marry him so
readily accepted?
B. How does he justify her angry behavior when they are in public together?
3. How does Baptista decide who will marry Bianca?
Act III
scene i
1. Who is Licio?
2. Whom does Bianca prefer? How do you know?
3. When Hortensio realizes what is going on between Lucentio and Bianca,
what does he say (to himself)?
scene ii
4. Why is Kate so upset on her wedding day?
5. Translate Biondello’s description of Petruchio and his horse into
Modern English.
6. A. What occurred at the marriage ceremony as Gremio described it?
B. Why does Petruchio act this way?
7. What decisions are made by:
Tranio concerning Vincentio -
Lucentio concerning Bianca -
8. What is the first argument of the newly married couple?
Act IV scene i
1. What does Grumio say happened to Kate and Petruchio on the way to
Petruchio’s country house?
2. How does Petruchio treat his servants? Why?
3. What is Petruchio’s plan (the last speech of the scene)?
Act IV scene ii
1. Tranio, as _________________and Hortensio, as _________________see
_________________and _________________meet, talk and court each other.
2. What does Hortensio tell Tranio?
3. Why does Tranio want to find an old man?
4. When Tranio finds him, what does he tell him?
Act IV scene iii
5. Kate asks Grumio for something; what is it and what does he do?
6. Describe the incident between Petruchio and the tailor.
7. Why does Petruchio keep changing his mind about going to Baptista’s
house for Bianca’s wedding? What “reverse psychology’ is he using on Kate?
Act IV scene iv
8. Tranio, as _________________and the pedant, as _________________speak
with _________________, Bianca’s father, about the wedding plans.
9. Lucentio, as _________________, appears with _________________, the
servant, who tells him the plans are ready.
Act IV scene v
10. Petruchio first says to Kate how “bright and goodly shines the
_________________” and
Kate says, “It is not _________________now.”
11. Petruchio says, “It shall be moon or star or what I please” and
decides to ___________________________ because Kate will not agree with him.
12. ____________________________________ says to agree or they will never
get to ________________ ‘s house.
13. What is Kate’s response to the odd rules that are being imosed on her?
14. What trick does Petruchio then play on Kate to test her?
15. A. Who is the old man ?
a) What is his name? ___________________
b) Who is he related to and how? ____________________________________
B. What problem could he be creating?
Act V
1. What happens at Baptista’s house?
2. The real Vincentio is worried. Why?
3. What other test does Petruchio ask of Katherine?
4. What occasion is celebrated in the last scene of the play?
5. Who is married to whom?
Petruchio to ___________________________________
Hortensio to ___________________________________
Lucentio to ____________________________________
6. After the three women leave the room, what is the bet and how much is
waged?
7. What is the response of:
Bianca -
the Widow -
Kate -
8. In Kate’s speech, she shows she is a changed woman. In your own
words, translate her last speech line by line.
9. Has Kate been ‘tamed”? Agree or disagree and give two solid reasons
for doing so.
~
1.
2.
ARTICLE QUESTIONS read in class "Hunting For Good Will: Will the Real
Shakespeare please stand up?"
1. What is this article about? Summarize in a couple of sentences.
2. Who does the author seem to agree with?
3. Give one example that supports Shakespere.
4. Give one example that supports Edward de Vere.
5. Who do you agree with? Why?
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