Question

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.

Which statement best describes the conflict that Della faces?
A. She does not have enough money to buy her husband a gift.
B. She refuses to admit that she and Jim are poor.
C. She likes to shop, but she and Jim have no money.
D. She is disappointed that Jim must work on Christmas.

Answer 1

A. She does not have enough money to buy her husband a gift.

Explanation: The passage emphasizes that Della has only $1.87 despite saving for months and worries that this sum is insufficient to buy the kind of present she wants for Jim.