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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. What are the most significant symbols in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) The cat and the apartment building.
(b) The combs and the watch-chain.
(c) The ring and the necklace.
(d) The hair shop and the jewelry store.

2. How is the proprietor of the hair shop described?
(a) Coarse and rough-faced.
(b) Masculine and gruff.
(c) Thin and withered.
(d) Large and too-white.

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

4. How is the electric bell at Jim and Della's apartment described?
(a) It is incredibly loud.
(b) It buzzes nonstop.
(c) It is tinkly and soft.
(d) It does not work.

5. For how long does Della shop for a gift for Jim after selling her hair?
(a) Six hours.
(b) Nine hours.
(c) Two hours.
(d) Three hours.

Short Answer Questions

1. The gifts that Della and Jim are revealed to have bought for one another are an example of what literary device?

2. What is the most likely setting of "The Gift of the Magi"?

3. How old is Jim said to be in the narrative?

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

5. What does the narrator say that large-hearted giving can leave behind?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Della purchase for Jim for Christmas? How is this object described?

2. How does the author use symbolism to develop the theme of wealth and poverty in "The Gift of the Magi"?

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

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

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

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

7. What are the financial circumstances of the Youngs?

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

9. What adaptations have been developed of "The Gift of the Magi"?

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

(see the answer keys)

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