The Gift of The Magi Important Questions-Answers for 2021 Exam-AHSEC

Below is the list of “The Gift of The Magi” Important Questions which I have picked up from the past years papers from 2015-2020 of Class 12 AHSEC

Don’t Worry!

I have also provided you the answers of the important questions of “The Gift of The Magi”.

Here you can access The Gift of the magi full notes

The Gift of The Magi Important Questions-Answers

1 Marks questions

1. 1. How much money had Della managed to save for Jim’s present? 2016

Ans: had Della managed to save $1.87 cents for Jim’s presen

2. What is the full name of Jim in the story, ‘The Gift of the Magi’? 2016 2017

Ans: The full name of Jim in the story, ‘The Gift of the Magi’ is James Dillingham Young’s.

3. How much used Jim to earn earlier? 2017

Ans: Once, Jim used to earn $30 a week. But now he has been paid $20 only a week.

4. Who did Della go to get money for Jim’s present? 2018

Ans: Della went to Madame Sofronie get money for Jim’s present

5. What was Jim’s gift for Della? 2019 2018

Ans:  Jim’s gift for Della for Della was the comb.

6. For what occasion did Della save money to buy a gift? 2019

Ans: Della was saving up her money to buy a nice Christmas gift for her beloved husband, Jim. 

7. How much money Della did earn by selling her hair? 2020

Ans: Della did earned $20 by selling her hair.

2marks questions:

Q 1. What were the prized possessions of the James Dillingham Young’s? 2016

Ans. There were two possessions of James Dillingham Young. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair.

Q 2. What does Della expect Jim to say when he returns and sees her? 2016

Ans. Della was worried that Jim would get angry with her about the way she looked now. And if not angry he would give her a second look and surely would say that she looked like a Coney Island chorus girl

Q 3. Who were the Magi? 2017 2020

Ans. The Magi were the three wise men who travelled from the East to Jerusalem. They were guided by a star to see the infant, Jesus. They carried precious gifts for Christ.

Q 4.What did Jim do to get a gift for Della? 2017 2019

Ans. Jin sold his most treasured watch, a family heirloom which even King Solomon might have been envious of. And with that money, he bought a gift for Della.

Q 5. Why was Della worried that Jim would be displaced? 2018

Ans. Della was worried that Jim would be displeased about her selling her hair because her hair was a matter of pride for both of them. In addition, her new short hair might draw comparisons with a Coney Island chorus girl.

Q 6. What did Della do after reaching home? 2018

Ans:- After reaching home, Della gave away a little to prudence and reason. She used the curling iron on her hair to repair the ravages of her hair. She took forty minutes trying to fix her hair. She looked like a truant school going, boy

Q 7. What did Della ask Madame Sofronie and what was her answer? 2019

Ans. Della asked Madame Sofronie if she would buy her hair. In her reply, Madame Sofronie told that she would at first have a look on Della’s hair.

Q 8. What was Jim’s reaction when he returned home? 2020

Ans. When Jim returned home, he stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della, and there was an expression in them that she could not read, and it terrified her.

Q 9. What did Della do to get a gift for Jim? 2020

Ans.  To get a gift for Jim Della sold her precious hair to Madame Sofronie. She asked Madame Sofronie if she would buy her hair. In her reply, Madame Sofronie told that she would at first have a look on Della’s hair.

4 marks questions:

Q 1. Why did Jim say their presents were “too nice to use just at present”? 2016

Ans:- These lines have been quoted from O’ Henry’s short ” The Gift of the Magi”. In this story O,’ Henry has shown the intent, sacrificed and generosity behind the giving. In the present context, the author has dealt with how Jim and Della demonstrated their love by sacrificing their own greatest possession.

Jim and Della were a young couple of modest means. They had to sell off their most prized possessions to buy gifts for each other on Christmas. Della sacrificed her long lustrous beautiful hair while Jim sacrificed a precious gold watch, a family heirloom. Jim brought a set of tortoiseshell combs for Della which she had ever longed for. But Della could not use it as she had sold her long hair to bring a platinum fob chain for Jim’s watch. So, Jim told Della that they should keep their gifts away as they were too nice to be used but they were not sad as they could realize their love for each other. They demonstrated their love for each other by sacrificing their greatest possession.

Q 2. Show how the twist in the tale makes the story of Jim and Della a moral lesson.  2017

Ans. “The Gift of the Magi” is one of the best stores of O’ Henry. It tells a story about Jim and Della who are very poor. They are so poor that they can’t even afford gifts for each other. But they loved each other very much. So they sell off their most precious possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each other. And the sad part is none of them know about the sacrifice when they were being made. On the eve of Christmas, Della parts with her beautiful hair. For Jim, Della’s long and lovely hair was beautiful enough to make the Queen of Sheba jealous. On the other hand, Jim parts with his watch, a family heirloom which even King Solomon might have been envious of. The ironic ‘twist in the tale’ is that both of them trade off the very treasures each of them possessed and for which the gifts were meant. And they had to wait one more year to use their gifts. The story ends with a moral lesson of what constitutes the true spirit of gifts giving on Christmas. Selflessness had a desire to see the loved ones who receive the gifts happily are the inherent themes of the story. Sacrifice complements the beauty of the story. What makes the story more beautiful is both the lovers made sacrifices to see and please the other.

Q 3. Describe what Della does from the moment she decides to earn money for Jim’s gift till the moment she earns it.  2018

Ans:- Della is very upset when it is the day before Christmas and she has only $1.87 to get her beloved Jim a Christmas gift. She decided the only way to get more money is to sell the most important thing to her, her very long hair. She sells her hair to Madame Saffronie’s hair shop and is offered $20 for her hair. She sells her hair to Madame Saffronie and goes to get Jim a gold chain for the most important possession of his watch. He currently kept it on a leather strap, and she knew he would be ecstatic to open his gift. She starts to get very nervous and afraid that Jim will not think she is pretty with her new hair.

Q 4. What moral lessons are stressed upon in “The Gift of the Magi”?   2019

Ans. The moral lessons are stressed upon in “The Gift of the Magi” is that Jim and Della sacrificed their most precious possessions to buy each other a fitting gift. The gifts turned out to be of no use for both of them. Della could not use the set of combs that Jim bought for her as her hair was gone. Jim could not use the fob chain as he had sold his watch to pay for her combs. The moral lesson here is about the true meaning of Christmas, love and sacrifice. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life. O. Henry’s story brings out the essence of love and sacrifice in the tale of Jim and Della.

Q 4. Bring out the relation between Della and the queen of Sheba. 2020

Ans. O’ Henry presents a very ironical yet pleasing contrast between Della and Queen Sheba. Della is young and very beautiful. Though she is poor she lives happily with her husband. Her beautiful hair fell about her rippling and they shine like a cascade of brown waters. Her hair reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment of her. On the other hand, the Queen of Sheba is a biblical character. She was a very rich and powerful queen. She came to King Solomon with a wealth of spices, gold, and jewels to test for herself whether King Solomon was truly wise or nor.

 In the story, the writer tells that if Queen Sheba had lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window someday just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. And queen Sheba would have been jealous of Della for not being able to possess such beautiful hair. 

Explain with reference to the context( 4 marks)

Q 1. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating?  2016

Ans: So Della did it. Which instigates the reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. The quoted lines are from O’ Henry’s short story ‘The Gift of the Magi’. The story is about the James Dillingham Youngs, a couple who are rather poor to afford the best gifts for one another on Christmas Eve. Della is Jim’s wife and she wishes to buy something precious for her husband. But as she counts the money that she had saved from her daily expenses she realized that she had a meager amount of one dollar and eighty-seven cents which were too little money to be able to buy the desired gift for her dear Jim. She felt helpless as she knew that there was no way for her to increase the money and in a sense of utter hopelessness she felt that the only thing that she could do was to cry. In her desperation, she began crying while there is this realization that life comprises of ups and downs and it is perhaps the miserable moments that make up most of our life.

Q 2. Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard.  2017

Ans: The quoted lines are from O’ Henry’s short story ‘The Gift of the Magi’. The story is about the James Dillingham Youngs, a couple who are rather poor to afford the best gifts for one another on Christmas Eve. Della was crying desperately when she found that she had too little money to buy a gift for her husband Jim. She realised that there was always some kind of financial problem in their life and therefore, everything around their home also seemed to reflect this want of money. However, there was immense love and warmth between her and Jim which perhaps made up for the absence of money. As Della was pondering over these thoughts, she was in tears. Then she stopped crying and got up. The depression within her seemed to be reflected by the scene outside the window as she looked out and saw a dreary sight of a grey cat walking on a grey fence in a grey backyard. All the greyness that Della sees outside perhaps symbolises her sad mood.

Q 3. “Dell,” said he, “let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep’ em a while. They’re too nice to use just at present. 2018

Ans:- These lines have been quoted from O’ Henry’s short ” The Gift of the Magi”. In this story O,’ Henry has shown the intent, sacrifice, and generosity behind the giving. In the present context, the author has dealt with how Jim and Della demonstrated their love by sacrificing their own greatest possession. Jim and Della were a young couple of modest means. They had to sell off their most prized possessions to buy gifts for each other on Christmas. Della sacrificed her long lustrous beautiful hair while Jim sacrificed a precious gold watch, a family heirloom. Jim brought a set of tortoiseshell combs for Della which she had ever longed for. But Della could not use it as she had sold her long hair to bring a platinum fob chain for Jim’s watch. So, Jim told Della that they should keep their gifts away as they were too nice to be used but they were not sad as they could realise their love for each other. They demonstrated their love for each other by sacrificing their greatest possession.

“The Gift of The Magi” additional Important Questions-Answers

1 Mark Questions.

1. Who would the queen of Sheba he jealous of?

Ans. The queen of Sheba would be jealous of Della’s long hair.

2. Where did Della run to after looking at her reflection in the pier-glass?

Ans. After looking at her reflection in the pier-glass, Della ran into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

3. How much money did Madame offer Della for her hair?

Ans. Madame offered twenty dollars to Della for her hair.

4. What was the present that Della chose for Jim?

Ans. Della chose a platinum job chain for Jim’s watch.

5. How did she look after the ‘repair’ of her hair?

2 marks questions:

1. Why was Della worried?

Ans. Della was worried because it was Christmas Eve the next day and she had not the adequate money to buy a gift for her beloved husband Jim.

2. Why did Della count her money three times?

Ans. Della counted her money three times to make sure that her savings were too small. She had expected that she could save more but when she found her savings was only $1.87, she counted it again and again.

3. What did Della do after she realized she had very little money with her?

Ans. When Della realized that she had very little money with her, she decided to cut her hair and sell them in order to get some money and buy a nice gift for her Jim.

4. How did Della succeed in saving one dollar and eighty-seven cents?

Ans. Della succeeded in saving 1.87 dollars by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one’s cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.

4. What makes the author come to the conclusion that ‘life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating’?

Ans. The author concludes that ‘life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating’. It is because life is full of mixed incidents and according to that varied feelings and emotions. At times one is happy, the other time one cries, At times one gains, the other time one loses. Hence, all the sobs, smiles and sniffles.

5. Describe Della’s flat?

Ans. Della’s was a furnished flat that cost $8 per week. It did not exactly look like that of a beggar’s house, but it certainly had that word on the first look. The flat had a card bearing its owner’s name. There was a letter-box where no letter ever dropped. There was also an electric button from which no mortal finger coaxed a ring.

6. Why did everything look grey to Della that morning?

Ans. That morning everything looked grey to Della. It was because she was sad to find out that she could save only 1.87 dollars with which she was in no way able to buy any gift for her Jim. This thought made her so sad that everything became colourless and dull to her.

7. What had Della planned all along?

Ans. Della had been planning all along to buy a nice gift for her Jim on the occasion of Christmas Eve. She even saved every single penny that she could to work her plan on.

8. What idea came to Della’s mind as she stood looking at her reflection in the pier-glass?

Ans. As Della stood looking at her reflection in the pier-glass she thought that Jim would say that with her short hair, she now looked like a Coney Island chorus girl.

4 marks questions:

1. Bring out the relation between Jim and King Solomon.

Ans. O’ Henry presents a very ironical yet pleasing contrast between Jim and King Solomon. Jim is the husband of Della. They are very poor. Jim could not earn enough money to buy even a Christmas gift for his wife. Hence he sold his most treasured possession, a watch, and then he bought a gift for Della. On the other hand, King Solomon is a biblical character. Queen of Sheba came to King Solomon with a wealth of spices, gold, and jewels to test herself whether King Solomon was wise or not.

    In the story, the writer tells that if King Solomon had been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him pluck at his beard from envy.

2. Based on the events, attempt a justification of the story as an example of comic irony.

Ans. “The Gift of the Magi” is about Jim and Della who are very poor. They are so poor that they can’t even afford gifts for each other. But they loved each other very much. So they sell off their most precious possessions to buy Christmas gifts for each other. And the comic irony is that none of them know about the sacrifice when they were being made.

On the eve of Christmas, Della parts with her beautiful hair. On the other hand, Jim parts with his watch, a family heirloom which even King Solomon might have been envious of. The ironic ‘twist in the tale’ is that both of them trade off the very treasures each of them possessed and for which the gifts were meant. This is the ultimate comic irony of the story: Jim sold his gold watch but Della had bought him a chain, worthy of his watch. Similarly, Jim bought a set of combs for Della who sold her hair to buy him a gift. And comically they had to wait one more year to use their gifts.

The Scarecrow Important Question Answers