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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Della do after counting her money in the beginning of "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) She calls her mother.
(b) She cheers.
(c) She calls for a cab.
(d) She weeps.

2. What are the most significant symbols in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) The cat and the apartment building.
(b) The ring and the necklace.
(c) The hair shop and the jewelry store.
(d) The combs and the watch-chain.

3. What aspect of the plot structure in "The Gift of the Magi" is one for which O. Henry was famous?
(a) The flash-forwards.
(b) The flashbacks.
(c) The twist-ending.
(d) The nonlinear narrative.

4. What does Della tell Jim she could not live through when he arrives home in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) She could not live through Christmas without calling his mother.
(b) She could not live through Christmas without getting him a gift.
(c) She could not live through Christmas without making a special meal.
(d) She could not live through Christmas without putting up a Christmas tree.

5. How much is Jim's income now, according to the author in the opening of "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) $15 per week.
(b) $30 per week.
(c) $20 per week.
(d) $40 per week.

6. How much money has Della saved up in the opening of "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) $5.24.
(b) $1.87.
(c) $1.96.
(d) $4.23.

7. How much was Jim being paid weekly when he and Della moved into their current apartment?
(a) $30 per week.
(b) $40 per week.
(c) $20 per week.
(d) $8 per week.

8. How old is Jim said to be in the narrative?
(a) 29.
(b) 24.
(c) 32.
(d) 22.

9. Which of the following is a central theme in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) Ambition.
(b) Sacrifice.
(c) Revenge.
(d) Mother-daughter relationships.

10. How did Della manage to save the amount she has for Jim's Christmas gift in the opening of "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) By working at the library.
(b) By stealing from her sister.
(c) By working as a schoolteacher.
(d) By scrimping on groceries.

11. What did Jim sell to buy Della's gift?
(a) His hair.
(b) His coat.
(c) His ring.
(d) His watch.

12. How much is the cost of the room where Della and Jim live?
(a) $5 per week.
(b) $20 per week.
(c) $15 per week.
(d) $8 per week.

13. How is the looking-glass described in Della and Jim's home?
(a) Very large.
(b) Round and solid.
(c) Very narrow.
(d) Very wide.

14. How much money is offered for Della's hair?
(a) $10.
(b) $40.
(c) $20.
(d) $15.

15. How is the design of the watch chain described?
(a) Highly detailed.
(b) Simple.
(c) Elaborate.
(d) Extravagant.

Short Answer Questions

1. To whose shop does Della go to sell her hair?

2. What does Della pray for as Jim is about to enter their apartment in "The Gift of the Magi"?

3. On what floor is the hair shop described as being?

4. On whose point of view is the narrative focused in "The Gift of the Magi"?

5. What does the narrator say that large-hearted giving can leave behind?

(see the answer keys)

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