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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. On what floor is the hair shop described as being?
(a) The third floor.
(b) The basement.
(c) The second floor.
(d) The first floor.

2. What does Della pray for as Jim is about to enter their apartment in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) For Jim to ask for a divorce.
(b) For Jim to think she is still pretty.
(c) For Jim to be happy she is pregnant.
(d) For Jim to have bought her a present.

3. The narrator says in the end of "The Gift of the Magi" that these two (Jim and Della) were what, among all who give gifts?
(a) The most wise.
(b) The most narrow-minded.
(c) The most exposed.
(d) The least wise.

4. How long is it until Christmas in the opening of "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) One week.
(b) Three days.
(c) Two days.
(d) One day.

5. When Jim enters his apartment, he is described as being as what?
(a) A lion when it is near a gazelle.
(b) A snake when it is near a rabbit.
(c) A hunting dog when it is near a bird.
(d) A bear when it is near an apple pie.

Short Answer Questions

1. What aspect of the plot structure in "The Gift of the Magi" is one for which O. Henry was famous?

2. How is the design of the watch chain described?

3. Della considers what Jim will think of her cut hair and she imagines that if he does not kill her, he will say she looks like what in "The Gift of the Magi"?

4. What are Jim and Della about to do in the end of "The Gift of the Magi"?

5. What is Jim's middle name?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is an example of foreshadowing in "The Gift of the Magi"? What is foreshadowed?

2. In what tense and from what narrative perspective is "The Gift of the Magi" related?

3. What does "allegory" mean and how does this term apply to "The Gift of the Magi"?

4. Describe the setting of the Youngs' apartment.

5. Who or what would you identify as the protagonist and antagonist in "The Gift of the Magi"? Why?

6. Where does the climax occur in "The Gift of the Magi"?

7. How has "The Gift of the Magi" been critically received since its publication?

8. What statement do you think the author is making regarding wisdom in "The Gift of the Magi"?

9. Describe the character of Della in "The Gift of the Magi." What does Della seek in the story?

10. What is a "twist ending" and how does this device apply in "The Gift of the Magi"?

(see the answer keys)

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