Raisin in the Sun VOCAB

Question 1

undistinguished

Answer 1

ADJECTIVE
Definition: common; nothing special
Context: “Its furnishings are typical and undistinguished and their primary feature now is that they have clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people for too many years–and they are tired”(23).

Question 2

pretense

Answer 2

NOUN
Definition: pretending or feigning; make-believe; a false show of something
Context: “All pretenses but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room”(24).

Question 3

exasperated

Answer 3

ADJECTIVE
Definition: irritated; provoked; irked
Context: “The boy gives her an exasperated look for her lack of understanding, and eats grudgingly (28).

Question 4

viciously

Answer 4

ADVERB
Definition: with violence or fury
Context: “Travis jabs his spoon into his cereal bowl viciously, and rests his head in anger upon his fists” (29).

Question 5

sullen

Answer 5

ADJECTIVE
Definiton: showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve
Context: “with sullen pointlessness”(29).

Question 6

vindicated

Answer 6

VERB
Definiton: cleared of accusation, blame, or doubt
Context: “The boy finally turns around and rolls his eyes at her, knowing the mood has changed and he is vindicated; he does not, however, move toward her yet” (30).

Question 7

proposition

Answer 7

NOUN
Definiton: a suggested plan
Context: “This ain’t no fly-by-night proposition, baby” (33).

Question 8

vengeance

Answer 8

NOUN
Definiton: revenge
Context: “She closes the door with a sleepy vengeance and crosses to the table and sits down a little defeated” (35).

Question 9

tentatively

Answer 9

ADVERB
Definition: uncertainly
Context: “She waits several seconds, trying to make up her mind about something, and looks at RUTH a little tentatively before going on”(44).

Question 10

furtively

Answer 10

ADVERB
Definition: stealthily; in a way that hides motive
Context: “Studying her mother-in-law furtively and concentrating on her ironing, anxious to encourage without seeming to ”(44).

Question 11

futile

Answer 11

ADJECTIVE
Definiton: useless
Context: “Dropping her hands in a futile gesture”(45).

Question 12

tyrant

Answer 12

NOUN
Definition: dictator; harsh ruler
Context: “I also see that everybody thinks it’s all right for Mama to be a tyrant”(52).

Question 13

forlornly

Answer 13

ADVERB
Definition: pitifully; desperately; hopelessly
Context: “Ruth comes in forlornly and pulls off her coat with dejection.”(57).

Question 14

mutilated

Answer 14

ADJECTIVE
Definition: maimed; damaged
Context: “You wear it well…very well…mutilated hair and all”(61).

Question 15

assimilationism

Answer 15

NOUN
Definition: belief that minority cultures should be absorbed into a dominant culture
Context: “Assimilationism is so popular in your country”(63).

Question 16

insinuatingly

Answer 16

ADVERB
Definition: with more meaning than is spoken; implied
Context: “Insinuatingly, to her daughter”(66).

Question 17

haphazardly

Answer 17

ADVERB
Definition: carelessly
Context: “She sets the headdress on haphazardly and then notices her hair again and clutches at it and then replaces the headdress and frowns at herself”(66).

Question 18

arrogant

Answer 18

ADJECTIVE
Definition: proud; haughty
Context: “She promenades to the radio and, with an arrogant flourish, turns off the good loud blues that is playing ”(76).

Question 19

eccentric

Answer 19

ADJECTIVE
Definition: deviating from the norm; strange
Context: “Oh don’t be so proud of yourself, Bennie–just because you look eccentric”(80).

Question 20

oppressive

Answer 20

ADJECTIVE
Definition: tyrannical
Context: “It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture!”(81).

Question 21

cliché

Answer 21

NOUN
Definition: trite or overused expression or idea
Context: “She smiles happily at this cliché of clichés”(82).

Question 22

plaintively

Answer 22

ADVERB
Definition: sorrowfully; pathetically
Context: “(Plaintively) Walter Lee –why don’t we just try to talk about it…”(86).

Question 23

menacingly

Answer 23

ADVERB
Definition: threateningly
Context: “Mama clamps her lips together, and Ruth advances toward her son menacingly”(90).

Question 24

exuberant

Answer 24

ADJECTIVE
Definition: marked by unrestrained enthusiasm
Context: “And she builds with momentum as she starts to circle the room with an exuberant, almost tearfully happy release”(93).

Question 25

presumably

Answer 25

ADVERB Definition: probably; reasonably supposed Context: “Beneatha and George come in, presumably from an evening out again”(96).

Question 26

rebuff

Answer 26

NOUN Definition: blunt refusal Context: “He starts to kiss her, she rebuffs him again and he jumps up”(96).

Question 27

revelation

Answer 27

NOUN Definition: new information Context: “This is a revelation to her”(91, 105).

Question 28

amiably

Answer 28

ADVERB Definition: good-naturedly Context: “Amiably, as he sits himself easily on a chair, leaning forward on his knees with interest and looking expectantly into the newcomer’s face”(114).

Question 29

ludicrous

Answer 29

ADJECTIVE Definition: ridiculous Context: “She pops it on her head to prove it to her grandson, and the hat is ludicrous and considerably oversized”(124).

Question 30

ominous

Answer 30

ADJECTIVE Definition: menacing; threatening Context: “In the living room Beneatha sits at the table, still surrounded by the now almost ominous packing crates”(131).

Question 31

plunder

Answer 31

VERB Definition: to rob; to loot Context: “What about all the crooks and thieves and just plain idiots who will come into power and steal and plunder the same as before–only now they will be black and do it in the name of the new Independence–WHAT ABOUT THEM?!”(134).

Question 32

wrought

Answer 32

VERB Definition: shaped; made Context: “How often I have looked at you and said, ‘Ah–so this is what the New World hath finally wrought…”(137).

Question 33

monologue

Answer 33

NOUN Definition: long speech by one person Context: “Beneatha ignores the eccentricity of his actions and goes on with the monologue of insult” (138).

Question 34

eccentricity

Answer 34

NOUN Definition: quality of being strange or unusual in behavior Context: “Beneatha ignores the eccentricity of his actions and goes on with the monologue of insult”(138).

Question 35

epitaph

Answer 35

NOUN Definition: inscription on a tombstone Context: “You done wrote his epitaph too—like the rest of the world?”(145).

Question 36

amid

Answer 36

ADVERB Definition: among; in the midst of Context: “She flies to get it amid the general bustling of the family, who are deliberately trying to ignore the nobility of the past moment”(149).