Question

from The Gift of the Magi
by O.Henry

Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly, she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window someday to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts.



What does the underlined phrase mean in the passage above?
A.
The Youngs thought that Della's hair was more beautiful than the queen's hair.
B.
The Youngs thought that Della's hair was a priceless possession.
C.
Della's hair was heavier than the queen's jewels.
D.
Della's hair had the magical quality of growing longer when hung out.

Answer 1

The underlined phrase in the passage suggests that Della valued her hair immensely and believed it to be more beautiful than the Queen of Sheba's jewels and gifts. Therefore, the best interpretation of the underlined phrase would be:

**A. The Youngs thought that Della's hair was more beautiful than the queen's hair.**

This interpretation captures Della's pride in her hair, implying that she considered it superior to the material wealth represented by the Queen's jewels.