The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry
The Gift of the Magi Quiz
Test your knowledge of O. Henry's classic story, "The Gift of the Magi." This quiz features questions that explore the themes, characters, and literary devices used in the narrative.
- 22 insightful questions
- Multiple choice and checkbox answers
- Perfect for literature enthusiasts
Della only has ______ to spend on a Christmas present for her husband.
$2.87
$1.87
$3.78
The reader has no idea.
There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.” This quotation shows Della’s sense of __________.
Responsibility
Anger
Grief
Helplessness
There was nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl.” Which word in this quoted sentence indicates the couple’s poverty?
Nothing
Flop
Shabby
Howl
Life is made up of sobs, sniffles and smiles …” is an example of ____.
Simile
Personification
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
When O. Henry describes the entrance to the apartment building, his depiction of the foyer further points out the couple’s destitution. “In the vestibule below was a letter box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.” The reader can infer that the “electric button” is the doorbell that will not ring because ________.
They have no visitors
It is broken
It was never installed
They don't really live there
Jim’s full name is “Mr. James Dillingham Young.” “The letters of ‘Dillingham’ looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D.” This quote is an example of ____.
Simile
Personification
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Della finished her cry … and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.” The repetition of the word “gray” reinforces the _________ mood.
Colorful
Holiday
Dreary
Boring
Jim’s gold watch, his finest possession, is a family heirloom, inherited from his _______.
Father
Uncle
Godfather
Father-in-law
Della’s finest possession is her hair. “Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window … just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts.” This biblical reference alludes to a famous ancient Arabian monarch known for her wealth and beauty. The purpose of this comparison is to show how _____ Della’s hair is.
Long
Magnificent
Shiny
Blond
O. Henry also includes a biblical reference concerning Jim’s watch. Jim’s gold watch is so exquisite even King _______ would “pluck at his beard in envy.”
Herman
David
Solomon
Charlie
Della looks into the “pier glass between the windows of the room. … [her] beautiful hair fell about her, rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters.” This quotation contains an example of ______.
Simile
Personification
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Della’s hair reaches her ________.
Shoulders
Neck
Knees
Heels
Della decides to go to Madame Sofronie, the owner of a hair and wig shop. Della sells her hair for _____.
$10
$20
$50
$100
Della tells Madame Sofronie, “Give it to me quick.” The reader can infer she says this because Della does not want to ________.
Cry
Tell Jim
Waste time
Change her mind
After getting the money from selling her hair, Della looks for two hours to find the perfect Christmas gift for Jim, “a platinum fob chain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone, and not by meretricious ornamentation.” The fob reminds Della of both Jim and his watch; the chain possesses “quietness and value;” its appeal and worth are proclaimed in its ________ and unadorned design.
Intricate
Plain
Glossy
Expensive
Della wants a proper watch chain for Jim because his beautiful watch only has an old __________.
Leather strap
Worn ribbon
Faded band
Broken buckle
In an attempt to minimize her hair cut, Della uses a curling iron. O. Henry uses a simile to describe the finished product. “Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a __________.”
Burnt up child's doll
Scared porcupine
Truant schoolboy
Comical puppet
Jim finds it hard to believe Della has cut and sold her hair. Almost in shock, he asks about her hair cut more than once. Initially, Della thinks her husband does not like the way she looks without her long hair. To reassure him, she repeatedly says she’ll _________.
Buy a wig
Wear a head scarf
Grow it out again
All of the above
When Della opens her present, she understands Jim’s reaction to her haircut. Jim has bought the expensive set of ______ of “pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims” she has admired and wanted for quite some time.
Headbands
Combs
Hair pins
All of these
After Della opens her present, she gives Jim the watch chain and wants him to put his watch on it right away. Instead he sits down on the couch and smiles. He then tells her he sold his watch to buy her present. O. Henry describes his story as “the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children who most unwisely sacrificed for each other [their] greatest treasures.” Then he states, “Of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.” This apparent contradiction reflects the Magi, the Wise Men, who brought gifts of great _______ to the Baby Jesus.
Value
Appeal
Usefullness
Wisdom
Jim and Della’s dinner, _______, could possibly be a pun on her haircut.
Soup
Porridge
Mashed potatoes
Chops
A theme of this story is that Jim and Della’s love for each other is much more valuable than any _______.
Material gift
Expensive dinner
Person's opinion
Verbal expression of love
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