1. O. Henry illustrates the young couple’s poverty with all of the following symbols except—

a. $1.87, “sixty cents” of which “was in pennies.”

b. “a letter box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.”

c. an allusion to the Queen of Sheba.

2. O. Henry highlights the couple’s poverty in order to emphasize—

a. the need to help the poor.

b. the immensity of the value of Della’s hair and Jim’s watch.

c. the importance of saving money.

3. The story is set during the holiday season. In contrast to the joy and happiness of that time of year, O. Henry symbolizes the drabness of the couple’s existence with—

a. “a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard.”

b. a Broadway window displaying a set of tortoise-shell hair combs.

c. King Solomon.

4. Della’s beauty is symbolized by—

a. “the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes.”

b. the “rippling and shining . . . cascade of” her brown hair.

c. her “slender” figure which can be seen even in the “pier-glass in an $8 flat.”

5. The mirror (“pier-glass”) is a symbol of Della’s —

a. pride and vanity.

b. realization that she will be able to give Jim “something nice.”

c. ignorance.

6. Selling his gold watch was a great sacrifice for Jim because—

a. he needed to use it every day at work.

b. Della had given it to him.

c. it had been passed down through the generations in his family.

7. An important allegorical aspect of the story is O. Henry’s repeated use of the number three, as in the three magi. For example, the narrator observes that a progression of three symbolic actions (“sobs, sniffles, and smiles”) make up life. The color gray is mentioned three times in the description of Della’s view out the window. What action does Della repeat three times in the story?

a. She lets down her hair three times to admire it before she sells it.

b. She counts the money she has managed to save three times.

c. She cooks three pork chops for dinner.

8. What is Mme. Sofronie’s allegorical function in the story? What idea does she represent?

a. The generosity of strangers

b. The dishonest aspects of business

c. The cold, uncaring world

All complete. Great job!