Question

Literary Text: from “The Gift of the Magi,” O. Henry
Read this passage from "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. Then, answer the following question(s).

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. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. 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.

The following question has two parts. Answer Part A first, and then Part B.

Part A
Which description of Della does the passage most clearly support?
A. a habitual shopper
B. a loving wife
C. a wealthy heiress
D. a hopeless dreamer
Part B
Which sentence is most effective in supporting this description?
A. Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag.
B. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present.
C. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated.
D. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.

Answer 1

Part A: B. a loving wife.

Part B: D. "Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him."
This sentence most directly shows Della’s care and devotion to Jim.