Available Answers

1. 1.

   Fill in the blanks.

   1. The story takes place in the month of ____________.
   2. The couple live on $ ___________ a week.
   3. The combs are made out of ___________ and the watch strap is made out of __________.
   4. Della is preparing ____________ for dinner that evening.
   5. Della sells _____________ to earn money for a present for Della.
2. 2.

   Right from the beginning, the narrator suggests that Jim and Della are not very rich. Can you identify three clues in the first three paragraphs of the story that convery this?

3. 3.

   Do you think Della and Jim are happily married? Why or why not?

4. 4.

   As Della opens the present that Jim has bought her, she exhibits a few different reactions. For each phrase that in sentences below, write down the thoughts and feelings that Della is experiencing which cause her to react in this way.

   White fingers and nimble tore at the string ands paper. And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails.

5. 5.

   The narrator tells us that the Magi "invented the art of giving Christmas presents". Why do you think he calls giving presents an "art"?

6. 6.

   In the last paragraph, the narrator calls Della and Jim both "foolish" as well as "wise". In what way have been foolish and in what ways have they been wise?