The Gift of the Magi

Which statement below includes the Exposition of the story?

• Della cuts her long, luxurious hair at Madame Sofronie's store for money.

• Jim goes to work at the firm, where he doesn't make a lot of money.

• Della is in her bedroom of their flat, counting the coins she saved for a present.

• None of the above.

Why do you think Della "flopped down on the couch and howled"?

• Della and Jim had an argument the morning before he left for work and she was upset.

• She had tried to buy Jim's present earlier that day and they didn't have what she wanted.

• Jim told her that her cooking was horrendous and she needed cooking lessons.

• She wanted to buy Jim something good for Christmas, but couldn't since she didn't have enough money.

How much money had Della saved to buy her husband the gold chain for his watch?

• $2.75

• $1.87

• $187

• $21.00

What is the theme of The Gift of the Magi? (check all that apply)

• Material possession pale in comparison to the gift of true love.

• Diligence will get you to where you want to be in life.

• It is important to get your loved one a gift for Christmas.

• Selflessness and love are the greatest gifts of all.

What character best fits the following quote? "As soon as she saw it, she knew that it must be _____. It was like him. Quietness and value" (Henry 3)

• Della

• Jim

Which statement below is NOT part of the rising action?

• Della meets Madame Sofronie in the wig store.

• Tim gave Della the combs for her hair.

• Della purchases the gold watch chain for Tim's present.

What is the main conflict of the story?

• getting a hair cut

• getting a gold chain

• poverty

• making a big decision

The climax is when Della purchases Jim's gold chain for his watch.

• True

• False

O' Henry's purpose in writing "The Gift of The Magi" was most likely:

• to poke fun at people such as Della and Jim.

• to make us realize how important material possessions truly are

• to show that the best gifts come from the heart

How irony is illustrated by O. Henry in his story, “The Gift of Magi”? Explain what kind of irony is it. Provide some details from the story to justify this literary device.

Answer explanation

O. Henry used Situational Irony, which occurs when actions or events have the opposite result from what is expected or what is intended. The situational irony that occurred in the story was that they both sacrificed something to give a present to the other person. Jim sacrificed his pocket watch to get combs for her wife and Della sacrificed her hair to get him a chain for this pocket watch.