The Gift of the Magi
Quiz by Susan Gossett
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25 questions
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- Q1At the beginning of the story, what is Della upset about?The idea that she would not have a suitable gift for her Jim.The thought that Jim can not afford to buy her a nice giftThe thought of parting with her hair.The idea that she d look stupid with short hair!120sEditDelete
- Q2Della's hair and Jim's watch have always been a source of:AnxietyPrideNervousnessShame120sEditDelete
- Q3Jim reacts strangely to the news of Della's hair being sold becauseHe is ashamed that he could not provide better for his family.He thinks she looks like a truant school boyHe is upset that she did not consult him about her hair first!He knows that he has bought something she can not use!120sEditDelete
- Q4At the end of the story, Jim puts his present from Della away becauseIt is gaudy and sticks out like a sore thumb!It is too valuable to use on a daily basis.It is fragile.He has no use for it at the moment120sEditDelete
- Q52. “There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.” This quotation shows Della’s sense of __________.helplessnessangerresponsibilitygrief120sEditDelete
- Q6“There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.” Which word in this quoted sentence indicates the couple’s poverty?howlnothingshabbyflop120sEditDelete
- Q7“Life is made up of sobs, sniffles and smiles …” is an example of ____.alliterationpersonificationsimileonomatopoeia45sEditDelete
- Q8When O. Henry describes the entrance to the apartment building, his depiction of the foyer further points out the couple’s destitution. “In the vestibule below was a letter box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.” The “electric button” is the doorbell that does not ring because ________.It is broken.It was never installed.none of the aboveThey have no visitors.120sEditDelete
- Q9“Della finished her cry … and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.” The repetition of the word “gray” reinforces the _________ mood.holidaycolorfuldrearyboring120sEditDelete
- Q10Jim’s gold watch, his finest possession, is a family heirloom, inherited from his _______.grandfatherfatherunclegodfather120sEditDelete
- Q11Della’s finest possession is her hair. “Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window … just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts.” This biblical reference alludes to a famous ancient Arabian monarch known for her wealth and beauty. The purpose of this comparison is to show how _____ Della’s hair is.shinyblondmagnificentlong120sEditDelete
- Q12O. Henry also includes a biblical reference concerning Jim’s watch. Jim’s gold watch is so exquisite even King _______ would “pluck at his beard in envy.”HerodSolomonSaulDavid120sEditDelete
- Q13Della looks into the “pier glass between the windows of the room. … [her] beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters.” This quotation contains an example of ______.alliterationonomatopoeiasimilepersonification120sEditDelete
- Q14Della decides to go to Madame Sofronie, the owner of a hair and wig shop. Della sells her hair for _____.$20$100$50$10120sEditDelete
- Q15After getting the money from selling her hair, Della looks for two hours to find the perfect Christmas gift for Jim, “a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone, and not by meretricious ornamentation.” The fob reminds Della of both Jim and his watch; the chain possesses “quietness and value;” its appeal and worth are proclaimed in its ________ and unadorned design.expensiveplainintricateglossy120sEditDelete
- Q16In an attempt to minimize her hair cut, Della uses a curling iron. O. Henry uses a simile to describe the finished product. “Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like aa truant schoolboyscared porcupinea dollcomical puppet120sEditDelete
- Q17When Jim first sees Della with her hair short, he has an expression “she could not read. It was not anger, nor surprise, nor disapproval, nor horror …” This quotation is an example of ________.parallel structuremetaphorsymbolismrepetition120sEditDelete
- Q18Jim and Della’s dinner, _______, could possibly be a pun on her haircut.mashsoupchopsporridge120sEditDelete
- Q19O. Henry’s biblical allusion to the Magi elevates a poor couple’s dilemma about buying Christmas gifts for each other to the level of the New Testament story of the Wise Men. This short story is about two young lovers who sacrifice their most prized possessions; it is a classic example of ________.flashbackunderstatementjuxtapositionirony120sEditDelete
- Q20The theme of this story is that Jim and Della’s love for each other is much more valuable than any _______.person's opinionmaterial giftverbal expressions of loveexpensive dinner120sEditDelete