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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. To what is Della's hair compared when she lets it down in the beginning of "The Gift of the Magi"?

2. What did Jim sell to buy Della's gift?

3. What color is Della's hair?

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

5. What is Jim's middle name?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. Where does the rising action take place in "The Gift of the Magi"?

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

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

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

9. Describe the setting of the Youngs' apartment.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss language style in "The Gift of the Magi." How would you describe the dialogue within the story? How do the characters' speech differ from the narrator's style of speaking? Is the language complex or simple? Why?

Essay Topic 2

Describe and discuss the setting of "The Gift of the Magi." How is the Youngs' home described? What clues in the setting indicate the time period of the story? Do you think this story could be set in a different time period and/or place? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss conflict in "The Gift of the Magi." What are the three main types of conflict in narrative literature? Which types of conflict apply in this story? How are the conflicts of the story resolved, or are they?

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