The Gift of the Magi & The Lottery Review

In The Gift of the Magi, which event happened last?

• Della bought Jim a gift.

• Della cried about only having $1.87.

• Della went to Madame Sofronie's

• Della cut her hair.

Which statement best expresses a theme of The Gift of the Magi?

• Make sure that you give people gifts that they can actually use.

• Spending time with the people you love is more important than getting them gifts.

• The best gifts involve sacrifice.

• Don't waste your money on expensive gifts.

With which statement would the narrator of The Gift of the Magi most likely agree?

• Jim and Della's gifts were bad because they did not consider one another's needs.

• Jim and Della's gifts were good because they will each get a lot of use out of their nice gifts.

• Jim and Della's gifts were bad because they wasted their money on things that they can't use.

• Jim and Della's gifts were good because they sacrificed so much for one another.

Which best explains why Jim is so stunned when he first sees Della?

• He doesn't like how his wife looks with short hair.

• He is shocked that she bought him such a nice gift.

• He doesn't recognize his wife.

• He bought her a gift that she can't use.

Why is Della upset at the beginning of the story?

• She lost her job shoveling in front of the stores on her block.

• She has been fighting with Jim.

• She does not have enough money to buy a nice present for Jim.

• She was recently arrested by the mendicancy squad.

A theme of The Gift of the Magi is that Jim and Della’s love for each other is much more valuable than any _______.

• expensive dinner

• person’s opinion

• verbal expressions of love

• material gift

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

• conflict

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

• blond

• shiny

“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

When talking about people who suggest the lottery should be given up, Old Man Warner says, "Used to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns" (lines 197-199). What can you infer about the purpose of the lottery from these lines?

• It provides money to support farmers.

• It tells farmers when to plant.

• It determines what crops should be planted.

• It helps ensure a good harvest.