Characterization, Theme, and Irony in "The Gift of the Magi" - 100% score

Read the excerpt from "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim. What inferences about Della can be made based on this excerpt? Select three options.

-Della does not have much money to spend on Jim's gift. -Della loves her husband, Jim, very much. -Della wants to buy Jim a really nice gift.

At the end of "The Gift of the Magi," Jim says that he and Della should forget their gifts for a while and eat supper. This suggests the theme...

A. "Love is understanding."

Read this character description from "The Gift of the Magi." Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. What inference can be made about Della from this description?

A. She is upset about her options.

Read this sentence about Della from "The Gift of the Magi." Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet. What theme do Della's actions in this sentence best suggest?

B. Sacrifice for a loved one is not always easy.

Which could best serve as the theme of a story about holiday gift giving?

B. The value of a gift is not in its price, but rather in its sentiment.

In "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry most likely uses the irony of the couple's gifts to express the theme that...

B. love and sacrifice for others is the highest virtue.

Read the excerpt from "The Gift of the Magi." "Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. Give me your watch. I want to see how it looks on it." Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. "Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on." Which best describes the use of irony in this excerpt?

C. The excerpt is an example of situational irony, as Jim has sold the watch for which Della bought a chain.

Read the story. Sam was home one night when the lights went out during a thunderstorm. He was looking in the kitchen closet for a flashlight to help him see, but it was hard to find the flashlight in the dark without using a flashlight! His circumstances struck Sam as pretty funny. This story contains what kind of irony?

C. situational irony

Read the excerpt from "The Gift of the Magi." "Don't make any mistake, Dell," [Jim] said, "about me. I don't think there's anything in the way of a haircut or a shave or a shampoo that could make me like my girl any less" Jim's quote expresses the theme that...

love outweighs physical attraction.

The theme is a story's...

observation about life.