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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) $30 per week.
(b) $20 per week.
(c) $15 per week.
(d) $40 per week.

2. Which of the following is a central theme in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) Revenge.
(b) Ambition.
(c) Sacrifice.
(d) Mother-daughter relationships.

3. What does the narrator say Jim would have done if a king had lived in the same home as he and Della?
(a) Called out for his servants to serve the king.
(b) Worked as his jester.
(c) Looked at his watch every time they met.
(d) Killed his servants.

4. How old is Jim said to be in the narrative?
(a) 24.
(b) 32.
(c) 29.
(d) 22.

5. What does the narrator say Jim needs in "The Gift of the Magi"?
(a) A rifle.
(b) A new coat.
(c) A pair of socks.
(d) A pair of new pants.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. On what floor is the hair shop described as being?

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?

4. How is the proprietor of the hair shop described?

5. How is the electric bell at Jim and Della's apartment described?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. When and where was "The Gift of the Magi" first published? When and where was it first published in book-form?

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

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

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

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

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

8. Describe the neighborhood and city where the Youngs live.

9. What is a "twist ending" and how does this device apply in "The Gift of the Magi"?

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

(see the answer keys)

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