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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Ruth think of Willie?

2. About how old is Walter Lee Younger?

3. What does Travis do on his way out?

4. Where did Mama go?

5. Ruth tells Walter Lee she is sorry about:

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Walter Lee taunt George about as they wait for Beneatha?

2. How does Beneatha differ from the other members of her family?

3. What is the importance of Mama's spindly plant to her character?

4. Travis asks repeatedly where his mother, Ruth, is during this scene. Why doesn't Mama answer his question?

5. What is Mama waiting for Walter Lee to do after she tells him about Ruth's pregnancy?

6. How does the author let the reader know that Beneatha is inauthentic in the way she wears her Nigerian costume?

7. How do Walter Lee and Ruth react when Mama tells them she bought a house in Clybourne Park?

8. What is Ruth referring to when she talks to George about "them bombs and things they keep setting off?"

9. Why does Beneatha have to wait to use the bathroom when she wakes up?

10. What function does Joseph Asagai provide in this play about an African-American family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The location of the new house presents a new problem for the Youngers. Describe the challenge they will be facing in an all-white neighborhood.

Essay Topic 2

Examine the symbolism of the props in this play, including Mama's plant, the poison being spread to kill the cockroaches, and the Nigerian clothing that Joseph Asagai brings.

Essay Topic 3

In speaking about the new house, Ruth asks Mama, "Is there a whole lot of sunlight?" Explain the dramatic contrast of the dark, dingy apartment set with the idea of a room full of light. What does a new environment represent to the Younger family?

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This section contains 595 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample