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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. How long does Della take to try to make her hair look better before Jim arrives home in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) 10 minutes.
(b) 40 minutes.
(c) 20 minutes.
(d) Two hours.

2. What does the narrator say that large-hearted giving can leave behind?
(a) Deep marks.
(b) Bitter resentments.
(c) Traces of glory.
(d) Sorrowful regrets.

3. The gifts that Della and Jim are revealed to have bought for one another are an example of what literary device?
(a) Simile.
(b) Literary allusion.
(c) Comic irony.
(d) Verbal irony.

4. 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 scrimping on groceries.
(d) By working as a schoolteacher.

5. How does the narrator describe Jim and Della in the end of "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) Two children who were selfish.
(b) Two children who were not wise.
(c) Two children who were tired.
(d) Two children who were disappointed.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator say Jim would have done if a king had lived in the same home as he and Della?

2. How long is Della's hair described in the beginning of "The Gift of the Magi"?

3. What did the magi bring to the baby Jesus in the Bible?

4. What color is Della's hair?

5. How much money does Della have left when she returns home from purchasing Jim's watch chain?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the "inciting incident" in "The Gift of the Magi" and how does it drive the story?

2. Describe one simile or metaphor from the short story and how it serves the reader.

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

4. Describe the character of Jim Young in "The Gift of the Magi." What motivates Jim in the story?

5. How is the theme of sacrifice developed in the story through character?

6. What is Jim's most prized possession and how is it described?

7. Describe one example of irony in "The Gift of the Magi." What type of irony is described?

8. Describe the character of Madame Sofronie in the story. What imagery does the author present with her introduction?

9. What is one example of Biblical reference or allusion in the story and why is it used?

10. What is Della's most prized possession and how is it described?

(see the answer keys)

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