The Gift of the Magi quiz

Questions and answers

1. 1

   Question 1. Which literary movement best describes "The Gift of the Magi"?

   • Modernism (experimental, fragmented narrative)
   • Correct answer: Realism (with romantic elements)
   • Gothic literature (dark, supernatural themes)
   • Naturalism (deterministic, scientific approach)
   • Regionalism (local colour, dialect, a specific place)

   Realism (with romantic elements) perfectly captures this story's focus on love, sacrifice, and the triumph of emotional values over material concerns.

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2. 2

   Question 2. What motivates Della to sell her hair?

   • Jim asked her to sell it
   • She needs money to pay rent
   • Correct answer: She wants to buy Jim a worthy Christmas gift
   • She is tired of taking care of her hair

   Della sells her most prized possession—her beautiful hair—because she wants to buy Jim a gift worthy of him, showing her deep love.

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3. 3

   Question 3. How much money does Della have at the beginning of the story?

   • $2.50
   • $1.00
   • $3.00
   • Correct answer: $1.87

   Della has exactly one dollar and eighty-seven cents, saved by careful bargaining.

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4. 4

   Question 4. What is Jim's most prized possession?

   • Correct answer: His father's gold watch
   • His books
   • His warm winter coat
   • His job at the office

   Jim's gold watch, inherited from his father and grandfather, is his most treasured possession—until he sacrifices it for Della.

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5. 5

   Question 5. What does "Parsimony" mean in this story?

   • Willingness to spend freely
   • Correct answer: Extreme frugality or stinginess
   • Property inherited from one's father
   • Careful planning for the future

   Parsimony means extreme frugality—Della saved her $1.87 through careful, even stingy, economy.

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6. 6

   Question 6. What do Della's hair and Jim's watch symbolize?

   • Correct answer: The treasures they each possess and are willing to sacrifice
   • Their vanity about Della's hair and Jim's pride in a luxury watch
   • The ticking away of time and the fading of Della's youth
   • Their claim to wealth and status, like Solomon and Sheba's treasures

   The hair and watch represent their most precious possessions—treasures that demonstrate the depth of their love when sacrificed.

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7. 7

   Question 7. What is the central theme of the story?

   • Christmas is a time for giving
   • Material possessions are meaningless
   • Money cannot buy happiness
   • Correct answer: True love requires sacrifice

   The central theme is that true love requires sacrifice—both Della and Jim give up what they treasure most to show their love.

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8. 8

   Question 8. What does Della buy for Jim?

   • A pair of winter gloves
   • A new leather watch strap
   • Correct answer: A platinum watch chain
   • A gold pocket watch

   Della buys Jim a platinum fob chain for his gold watch—simple, elegant, and worthy of the watch.

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9. 9

   Question 9. What is the central irony of the story?

   • They both meant to keep their hair and watch, but the eight-dollar rent forced them to sell
   • The platinum chain and the combs are worthless junk that the shops refuse to take back
   • They pretend to the neighbors that Jim still earns thirty dollars a week
   • Correct answer: Each sacrifices their treasure to buy a gift for the other's now-sacrificed treasure

   The situational irony is that each sacrifices the very thing the other's gift was meant to complement—Jim sells his watch to buy combs for Della's now-sold hair, and Della sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim's now-sold watch.

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10. 10

    Question 10. Why does O. Henry reference the 'Magi' in the title?

    • The Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and those are the three gifts in this story
    • Correct answer: The Magi were wise men who brought gifts, just as Della and Jim wisely give gifts to each other
    • The Magi were wealthy kings, so the title ironically contrasts royal riches with this couple in an eight-dollar flat
    • Magi is the name of the New York street that holds Madame Sofronie's hair shop

    The Magi were the wise men who brought precious gifts to Jesus. O. Henry compares Della and Jim to them, suggesting their sacrificial love makes them the wisest of gift-givers.

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11. 11

    Question 11. How does the setting enhance the story's themes?

    • The wealthy neighborhood highlights their success
    • The cold New York winter reflects their emotional distance
    • Correct answer: Their poverty and humble flat contrast with the richness of their love
    • The Christmas season makes them feel obligated to give gifts

    Their shabby $8-a-week flat and poverty starkly contrast with the immense richness of their love and generosity, highlighting that true wealth isn't material.

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12. 12

    Question 12. What does Jim buy for Della?

    • Correct answer: Tortoiseshell combs with jewels
    • A new brown hat for her cropped hair
    • A set of curling irons for her
    • A warm jacket for Christmas Eve

    Jim buys beautiful tortoiseshell combs with jeweled rims that Della had long admired in a shop window.

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13. 13

    Question 13. Which literary device does O. Henry use most effectively?

    • Correct answer: Situational irony
    • Stream of consciousness
    • Allegory
    • Foreshadowing

    Situational irony—the opposite of what's expected happens when their sacrificial gifts become useless yet reveal the depth of their love.

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14. 14

    Question 14. How would you describe O. Henry's narrative voice in this story?

    • Detached and objective, like a newsman touring their poor flat
    • Correct answer: Warm, conversational, and occasionally philosophical
    • Dark and pessimistic about a world of sobs and sniffles
    • Formal and academic, like a school textbook

    O. Henry uses a warm, conversational tone, directly addressing the reader and offering philosophical reflections on love and wisdom.

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15. 15

    Question 15. What does "Meretricious" mean in this story?

    • Mysterious and hard to understand
    • Valuable and genuine in quality
    • Correct answer: Attractive in a showy but false way
    • Related to merit or worthiness

    Meretricious means attractive in a flashy or insincere way. O. Henry praises the chain for proclaiming its value by substance alone, not by showy ornamentation—the same quiet worth the story finds in the couple's gifts.

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16. 16

    Question 16. Which of these events actually happened in the story?

    • Della cries at the beginning of the story because she doesn't have enough money for a gift.

      Happened

      She has only $1.87 saved and feels it's inadequate for a proper gift for Jim.

    • Della sells her hair to Madame Sofronie for twenty dollars.

      Happened

      Madame Sofronie buys Della's beautiful long hair for twenty dollars.

    • Jim is angry when he sees Della has cut her hair.

      Didn't happen

      Jim isn't angry—he's shocked because he bought her combs for her now-gone hair, but he still loves her.

    • The couple lives in a furnished flat for eight dollars per week.

      Happened

      Their humble apartment costs eight dollars per week, showing their poverty.

    • Jim inherited his watch from his grandfather and father.

      Happened

      The gold watch is a family heirloom passed down through generations.

    • Della buys a silver watch chain for Jim.

      Didn't happen

      She buys a platinum fob chain, not silver—worthy of Jim's fine watch.

    • Jim sells his watch to buy the combs for Della.

      Happened

      Jim sacrifices his treasured watch to buy the beautiful combs Della had admired.

    • The story takes place on Christmas morning.

      Didn't happen

      The story takes place on Christmas Eve, leading up to their gift exchange.

    • The narrator compares Della and Jim to the Magi.

      Happened

      O. Henry calls them the wisest of gift-givers, like the Magi who brought gifts to Jesus.

    • Jim makes twenty dollars per week at his job.

      Happened

      Jim's pay had shrunk to $20 a week; the $30 salary belongs to a former period of prosperity, back when the flat's nameplate still read "Dillingham" in full.

    • Della had been saving money by bargaining with grocers and others.

      Happened

      She saved her $1.87 through careful, penny-pinching economy.

    • The story is set in New York City.

      Happened

      The story takes place in a humble flat in New York City in the early 1900s.

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17. 17

    Question 17. What does the narrator mean by saying Della and Jim were 'the wisest' of gift-givers?

    • They were foolish children who unwisely gave up the greatest treasures of their house
    • They planned the gift exchange together so neither would be disappointed at seven o'clock
    • They made shrewd bargains, stretching $1.87 into a Christmas profit
    • Correct answer: Their sacrificial love demonstrates true wisdom about what matters most

    The narrator suggests that understanding love requires sacrifice—and that this wisdom surpasses any material consideration—makes them the wisest gift-givers.

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18. 18

    Question 18. What is the emotional effect of the story's ending?

    • Tragic—the sold hair and watch leave both gifts wasted
    • Correct answer: Bittersweet—the gifts are useless but their love is proven
    • Happy—they unwrap the chain and combs and use both gifts at once
    • Suspenseful—the narrator leaves Jim's anger unresolved

    The ending is bittersweet: while the gifts are now useless, the sacrifices prove the depth of their love, which is the real gift.

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19. 19

    Question 19. How does the story comment on materialism versus love?

    • Material gifts are the best way to show love to others
    • Material possessions are what make us happy in life
    • Correct answer: Love transcends material possessions and is more valuable
    • We should never give away our possessions for others

    The story argues that love—demonstrated through sacrifice—is far more valuable than any material possession, even treasured ones.

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