ENGLISH 9

Reading task:
Read the short story, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry at
http://webhome.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html

Vocabulary check:
You may have encountered some difficult words in the short story. Do this you can
quickly understand them. The pairs of words below can be a marriage made in heaven. If the
pair of words is well-matched in meaning, write S to indicate that the words are synonyms. If
they are not meant to be because they are nearly opposite in meaning, write A to indicate that
they are antonyms. If they are totally strangers, quite unrelated to each other, write X to
indicate that they are incompatible.

Agile Nimble
Intoxicate Poison
Depreciate Appreciate
Mammoth Dwarf
Patent Cascade
Discreet Imprudent
Scrutiny Inspect
Inconsequential Important
Ecstatic Dramatic
instigate investigate

Reading Comprehension:
If there is anything better than to be loved, it is loving. But, how do we show our love to
the people we treasure most? You can count many ways. But the top in the list is probably,
trying everything you can in order to make your loved ones happy.
As what Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz said, “To love is to place our happiness in the
happiness of another.” Do you agree with him? Have you seen how the characters in the story
give happiness to someone he/she loves? Let us find out how well you have read the story by
answering the following questions. Come on! Share what you have learned from the story!
Questions:
1. Describe the setting of the story.
2. What is the status in life of Mr. and Mrs. Dillingham Young?
3. What is Della doing at the beginning of the story and why?
4. What possessions are values most by Jim and Della?
5. What did they do to buy each other a present? Were they practical in their actions?
6. What is Jim’s reaction to Della when he arrives home? Why did he react that way?
7. What gifts did the couple give each other?
8. Why does the author compare Jim and Della to the Magi?
9. Do you feel admiration and sympathy for them? Explain your answer.
10. What do Della’s and Jim’s sacrifices, tell you about their relationship?
11. They were described as foolish children. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
12. If you were Della or Jim, would you have done the same thing? Would you be willing to
sacrifice for your loved ones? Why or why not? If yes, to what extent?