Raisin in the Sun Vocab

Question 1

undistinguished

Answer 1

(adj) common; nothing special

“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” (Hansberry 23).

Question 2

pretense

Answer 2

(n) pretending or feigning; make-believe; a false show of something

“All pretenses but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room” (Hansberry 24).

Question 3

exasperated

Answer 3

(adj) irritated; provoked; irked

“The boy gives her an exasperated look for her lack of understanding, and eats grudgingly” (Hansberry 28).

Question 4

viciously

Answer 4

(adv) with violence or fury

“Travis jabs his spoon into his cereal bowl viciously, and rests his head in anger upon his fists” (Hansberry 29).

Question 5

sullen

Answer 5

(adj) showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve

“With sullen politeness ‘Yes’m’” (Hansberry 29).

Question 6

vindicated

Answer 6

(v) cleared of accusation, blame, or doubt

“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” (Hansberry 30).

Question 7

proposition

Answer 7

(n) a suggested plan

“This ain’t no fly-by- night proposition, baby” (Hansberry 33).

Question 8

vengeance

Answer 8

(n) revenge

“She closes the door with a sleepy vengeance and crosses to the table and sits down a little defeated” (Hansberry 35).

Question 9

tentatively

Answer 9

(adv) uncertainly

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

Question 10

furtively

Answer 10

(adv) stealthily; in a way that hides motive

“(Studying her mother-in-law furtively and concentrating on her ironing, anxious to encourage without seem to)” (Hansberry 44).

Question 11

futile

Answer 11

(adj) useless

“(Dropping her hands in a futile gesture)” (Hansberry 45).

Question 12

tyrant

Answer 12

(n) dictator; harsh ruler

“I also see that everybody thinks it’s all right for Mama to be a tyrant” (Hanberry 52).

Question 13

forlornly

Answer 13

(adv) pitifully; desperately; hopelessly

“(RUTH comes in forlornly and pulls off her coat with dejection. They both turn to look at her)” (Hanberry 57).

Question 14

mutilated

Answer 14

(adj) maimed; damaged

“You wear it well … very well… mutilated hair and all” (Hansberry 61).

Question 15

assimilationism

Answer 15

(n) belief that minority cultures should be absorbed into a dominant culture

Assimilationism is so popular in your country” (Hansberry 63).

Question 16

insinuatingly

Answer 16

(adv) with more meaning than is spoken; implied

“Lord, that’s a pretty thing just went out here! (Insinuatingly, to her daughter)” (Hansberry 66).

Question 17

haphazardly

Answer 17

(adv) carelessly

“She sets the headdress haphazardly and then notices her hair again and clutches at and then replaces the head dress and frowns at herself” (Hanberry 66).

Question 18

arrogant

Answer 18

(adj) proud; haughty

“(She promenades to the radio and, with an arrogant flourish, turns off the goof loud blues that is playing)” (Hansberry 76).

Question 19

eccentric

Answer 19

(adj) deviating from the norm; strange

“Oh, don’t be so proud of yourself, Bennie–just because you look eccentric” (Hansberry 80).

Question 20

oppressive

Answer 20

(adj) tyrannical, unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint

“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!” (Hansberry 81).

Question 21

cliché

Answer 21

(n) trite or overused expression or idea

“Just like they always say about Chicago weather: If it’s too hot or cold for you, just wait a minute and it’ll change. (She smiles happily at this cliche of cliches)” (Hansberry 82).

Question 22

plaintively

Answer 22

(adv) sorrowfully; pathetically

“(Plaintively) Walter Lee – why don’t we just try to talk about it …” (Hansberry 86).

Question 23

menacingly

Answer 23

(adv) threateningly

“(MAMA clamps her lips together, and RUTH advances towards her son menacingly)” (Hansberry 90).

Question 24

exuberant

Answer 24

(adj) marked by unrestrained enthusiasm

“(And she builds with momentum as she starts to circle the room with an exuberant, almost tearfully happy release)” (Hansberry 93).

Question 25

presumably

Answer 25

(adv) probably; reasonably supposed

BENEATHA and GEORGE come in, presumably from an evening out again” (Hansberry 96).

Question 26

rebuff

Answer 26

(n) blunt refusal

“(He starts to kiss her, she rebuffs him again and he jumps up)” (Hanberry 96).

Question 27

revelation

Answer 27

(n) new information

Walter you ain’t been at work for three days! (This is a revelation to her)” (Hansberry 105).

Question 28

amiably

Answer 28

(adv) good-naturedly

“(Amiably as he sits himself easily on a chair leaning forward on his knees with interest and looking expectantly into the newcomer’s face)” (Hansberry 114).

Question 29

ludicrous

Answer 29

(adj) ridiculous

“(She pops it on her head to prove it to her grandson , and the hat is ludicrous and considerably over-sized)” (Hansberry 124).

Question 30

ominous

Answer 30

(adj) menacing; threatening

“In the living room BENEATHA sits at the table, still surrounded by the now almost ominous packing crates” (Hansberry 131).

Question 31

plunder

Answer 31

(v) to rob; to loot

“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” (Hansberry 134).

Question 32

wrought

Answer 32

(v) shaped; made

“Yes–just look at what the New World hath wrought!” (Hansberry 137).

Question 33

monologue

Answer 33

(n) long speech by one person

“BENEATHA ignores the eccentricity of his action and goes with the monologue of insults” (Hansberry 138).

Question 34

eccentricity

Answer 34

(n) quality of being strange or unusual in behavior

“BENEATHA ignores the eccentricity of his action and goes with the monologue of insults” (Hansberry 138).

Question 35

epitaph

Answer 35

(n) inscription on a tombstone

“You done wrote his epitaph too—like the rest of the World?” (Hansberry 145).

Question 36

amid

Answer 36

(adv) among; in the midst of

“(She flies to get it amid the general bustling of the family, who are deliberately trying to ignore the nobility of the past moment” (Hansberry 149).