The Gift Of The Magi questions answers Class-12 Alternative English 2023-24।। The Gift Of The Magi notes ।।

 

The Gift Of The Magi

-O'Henry

All Important questions answers// previous years questions answers of AHSEC from 2015-2023. 

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H.S. EXAM. QUESTIONS

A. Very short type questions:   Mark: 1

1. How much money had Della managed to save for Jim's present?  [H.S.'16]
2. What was the full name of Jim?  [H.S.'16]
3. What is the full name of Jim in the story, 'The Gift of the Magi"?  [H.S. '16, 17]
4. How much used Jim to earn earlier?   [H.S. '16, 17]
5. Who did Della go to get money for Jim's present?   [H.S.'18]
6. What was Jim's gift for Della? [H.S.'18]
7. For what occasion did Della save money to buy a gift?  [H.S.'19
8. What is Jim's gift for Della?  [H.S.'19]
9. Who are the Magi?   [H.S. '20]
10. How much money Della did earn selling her hair?   [H.S. '20]
11. What did Della buy for her husband as the gift of Magi?  [H.S. '22]
12. Where did Della sell her long hair? [H.S. '22]

Answers:

1. How much money had Della managed to save for Jim's present? [H.S.'16]

Ans: Della  Dila has been able to save one dollar and eighty-seven cents.  ($1.87)

2. What was the full name of Jim? [H.S.'16]

Ans: The full name of Jim was Mr. James Dillingham Youngs. 

3. What is the full name of Jim in the story, 'The Gift of the Magi"? [H.S. '16, 17]

Ans: The full name of Jim was Mr. James Dillingham Youngs in the story, "The Gift Of the Magi".

4. How much used Jim to earn earlier? [H.S. '16, 17]

Ans: The income of Jim earlier was $30  (thirty dollars) per week. 

5. Who did Della go to get money for Jim's present? [H.S.'18]

Ans: Della went to Madame Safronie to get money for Jim's present. 

6. What was Jim's gift for Della? [H.S.'18]

Ans: Jim's gift for Della was a beautiful comb of tortoise shell. 

7. For what occasion did Della save money to buy a gift? [H.S.'19]

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

8. What is Jim's gift for Della? [H.S.'19]

Ans: Jim's gift for Della was a beautiful comb of tortoise shell. 

9. Who are the Magi? [H.S. '20]

Ans: The Magi were three wise men who travelled from East to Jerusalem, guided by a star, to see infant Jesus. Also, they carried some gifts for Crist. 

10. How much money Della did earn selling her hair? [H.S. '20]

Ans: Della sells her hair to Madame Safronie for twenty (20) dollars. 

11. What did Della buy for her husband as the gift of Magi? [H.S. '22]

Ans: In "The Gift Of the Magi", Della sells her long hair to buy (a Christmas gift ) a platinum pocket watch chain for her husband Jim. 

12. Where did Della sell her long hair? [H.S. '22]

Ans: Della sells her hair to Madame Safronie for twenty (20) dollars. 

B. Short Type Questions:    Marks:2/3

1. What were the prized possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs?   [H.S. '16]
2. What does Della expect Jim to say when he returns and sees her?  [H.S.'16]
3. Who were the Magi?   [H.S.'17]
4. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della   [H.S.'17]
5. Why was Della worried that Jim would be displeased?   [H.S.'18]
6. What did Della do after reaching home? [H.S.'18]
7. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della? [H.S.'19] 
8. What did Della ask Madame Sofronie and what was her answer?  [H.S.'19]
9. What was Jim's reaction when he returned home?   [H.S. '20]
10. What did Della do to get a gift for Jim?   [H.S. '20]
11. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della?  [H.S. '22]
12. Why was Della sobbing and sniffling?  [H.S.'22]

Answers:

1. What were the prized possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs? [H.S. '16]

Ans: There were two possessions of James Dillingham Youngs. One was Jim's gold watch which had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair. 

2. What does Della expect Jim to say when he I returns and sees her? [H.S.'16]

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. 

3. Who were the Magi? [H.S.'17]

Ans: The Magi were three wise men who travelled from East to Jerusalem, guided by a star, to see infant Jesus. Also, they carried some gifts for Crist. 

4. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della [H.S.'17]

Ans: Jim sold his most treasured watch which was a family heirloom. And with that money, he bought a gift for Della. 

5. Why was Della worried that Jim would be displeased? [H.S.'18]

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

6. What did Della do after reaching home? [H.S.'18]

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 looked like a truant school-going boy. 

7. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della? [H.S.'19] 

Ans: Jim sold his most treasured watch which was a family heirloom. And with that money, he bought a gift for Della.

8. What did Della ask Madame Sofronie and what was her answer? [H.S.'19]

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

9. What was Jim's reaction when he returned home? [H.S. '20]

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. It was not anger, surprise, disapproval, horror, or any of the sentiments that she had been prepared for. 

10. What did Della do to get a gift for Jim? [H.S. '20]

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. 

11. What did Jim do to get a gift for Della? [H.S. '22]

Ans: Jim sold his most treasured watch which was a family heirloom. And with that money, he bought a gift for Della.

12. Why was Della sobbing and sniffling? [H.S.'22]

Ans: Della had saved money with much effort but still it would not fulfil her desired wish so she cried. It made the author realise that life is made up of sobs, sniffles and smiles with sniffles predominating. 

Books:

If you are under AHSEC & a science student then I recommend you to follow the following books for 

1. Physics- Exam Master (best for AHSEC) or S L Arora's reference book

2. Biology- Exam Master (best for AHSEC). 

If you can collect these from somewhere else at a low cost, then you can. 

Dear student, don't forget to comment, How I can help you more tell, 

C. Essay Type Questions:   Marks:4/5

• 1. Why did Jim say their presents were "too nice to use just at present"?  [H.S.'16]
• 2. Show how the twist in the tale makes the story of Jim and Della a moral lesson.  [H.S.'17]
• 3. Describe what Della does from the moment she decides to earn money for Jim's gift till the moment she earns it.   [H.S.'18]
•  4. Explain with reference to the context of the following:

(a) So Della did it. Which instigates the reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. [H.S. '16]

(b) 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.   [H.S. '17]

(c) "Dell", said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present.     [H.S.'18]

(d) Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, closelying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy.    [H.S. '20]

(e) "When Della reached home, her intoxi- cation gave way a little to prudence and reason."   [H.S. '22]

• 5. What moral lessons are stressed upon In "The Gift of the Magi"?     [H.S.'19]
• 6. She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else.    [H.S.'19]
• 7. Bring out the relation between Della and the queen of Sheba.    [H.S.'20]
• 8. How did Della save the pennies of the sixty cents of her total savings?    [H.S. '22]

Answers:

1. Why did Jim say their presents were "too nice to use just at present"? [H.S.'16]

Ans:

2. Show how the twist in the tale makes the story of Jim and Della a moral lesson. [H.S.'17]

Ans:

In the story, Jim and Della are shown to have immense love towards one another despite their poor monetary condition. As both were planning to buy a precious gift for each other on Christmas eve despite the lack of adequate money, both sold off their only precious possessions. Jim had a gold watch handed down to him from his grandfather and Della had her lustrous hair which they felt would make others envious of them. Della bought a platinum fob chain to suit Jim's gold watch by selling off her beautiful hair and Jim on the other hand sold off his gold watch to buy a set of pure tortoise shell, jewelled rimmed combs for her hair which she had been desirous of buying since long. The gifts that each of them had bought became useless. However, the moral of the story lies in the idea that selfless love can be the greatest gift that one may have towards another and in this sense of self-sacrificing love, one becomes as wise as the magi.

3. Describe what Della does from the moment she decides to earn money for Jim's gift till the moment she earns it. [H.S.'18]

Ans:

 4. Explain with reference to the context of the following:

(a) So Della did it. Which instigates the reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. [H.S. '16]

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 realised that she had a meagre 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 realisation that life comprises of ups and downs and it is perhaps the miserable moments that make up most of our life.

(b) 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. [H.S. '17]

Ans: 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.

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 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.

(c) "Dell", said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. [H.S.'18]

Ans:

(d) Within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, closelying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy. [H.S. '20]

Ans:

(e) "When Della reached home, her intoxi- cation gave way a little to prudence and reason." [H.S. '22]

Ans:

5. What moral lessons are stressed upon In "The Gift of the Magi"? [H.S.'19]

Ans:

6. She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. [H.S.'19]

Ans:

7. Bring out the relation between Della and the queen of Sheba. [H.S.'20]

Ans:

8. How did Della save the pennies of the sixty cents of her total savings? [H.S. '22]

Ans:

Recommend: for class 12

Alternative English:

    1. The verger

English:

    1. The Last Lesson

These are all from my side. Now, I would like to hear from you. That's all previous years' question answers of The Gift Of Magi, Vibgyaor, AHSEC from 2012 to 2023 from my side. If you have any questions then can ask me through comments or contact us and join our Telegram channel.