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

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

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 exposed.
(b) The most wise.
(c) The least wise.
(d) The most narrow-minded.

4. 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"?
(a) A girl who sings and dances for money.
(b) A girl who prostitutes herself for money.
(c) A girl who works in a library.
(d) A little girl.

5. How is the letter-box described as Della and Jim's apartment building?
(a) Too small to hold a letter.
(b) Rusted completely shut.
(c) Unable to open due to a broken door.
(d) Permanently locked.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. How would you describe Della's feelings for Jim?

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

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"?

5. When Della lets down her hair in the beginning of "The Gift of the Magi" it is said to almost create what?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Jim purchase for Della and how is this object described?

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

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

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

5. Describe one example of symbolism in "The Gift of the Magi." What does the symbol represent?

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

7. How does the historical context of "The Gift of the Magi" influence the story?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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