Question Answers Class 10 Chapter 4.6 Kumarbharati English Maharashtra Board

The Gift of the Magi

ENGLISH WORKSHOP

1. Complete the following.

(a)  Della had saved ___?

Answer: Della had saved one dollar and eighty-seven cents.

(b) Della wanted to buy ___?

Answer: Della wanted to buy a Christmas present for Jim.

(c)  Della’s beautiful hair tell about ___?

Answer: Della’s beautiful hair tell about her pride and one of the couple’s prized possessions.

2. Answer the following questions:

(a) How much did Della save for Christmas? What does it show?

Answer: Della saved one dollar and eighty-seven cents for Christmas. It shows her extreme poverty and her determination to save even small amounts despite their limited income.

(b)  Why did Della take pride in the beauty of her hair?

Answer: Della took pride in the beauty of her hair because it was long, stunning, and one of their two most valuable possessions, even more precious than the Queen of Sheba’s jewels.

(c) Why and how did Della sell her hair? Do you think she did well?

Answer: Della sold her hair because she had only $1.87 and wanted to buy Jim a Christmas gift. She went to Madame Sofronie, who offered her $20 for it. Yes, I think she did well because it showed her deep love and willingness to sacrifice for Jim.

(d) Why and how did Jim sell his gold watch? Do you think he did well?

Answer: Jim sold his gold watch to buy Della a set of combs as a Christmas gift. He did it secretly, giving up his prized possession. Yes, I think he did well because it reflected his selfless love for Della.

(e) Why did Jim and Della want to present the gifts?

Answer: Jim and Della wanted to present the gifts to express their deep love and to make each other happy on Christmas, despite their financial struggles.

(f) Why did Della feel sad on losing her hair?

Answer: Della felt sad on losing her hair because it was her pride and joy, and she worried that Jim might not find her attractive without it.

(g) What did Jim bring out from his coat? Describe the scene.

Answer: Jim brought out a package from his coat containing a set of combs for Della. When Della unwrapped it, she screamed with joy, but then burst into tears because her hair was gone, and Jim tried to comfort her as she realized the irony.

(h) Question: How beautiful was the gold watch chain? Would you have liked to own it?

Answer: The gold watch chain was beautiful, made of platinum, simple and elegant, symbolizing quietness and value. Yes, I would have liked to own it because of its understated beauty and worth.

(i) How did the Magi want to celebrate their Christmas (OR) Who were the first people to give Christmas gifts?

Answer: The Magi wanted to celebrate their Christmas by giving valuable gifts to Baby Jesus. They were the first people to give Christmas gifts, inspired by their wisdom and reverence for him.

(j) What is the moral of the story?

Answer: The moral of the story is that true love involves selfless sacrifice, and those who give from their hearts, like Jim and Della, are the wisest, just like the Magi.

3. Complete the following activity :

Map the problems and solutions in “The Gift of the Magi” on the diagram
below. Two problems have already been filled in.

Answer:-

–

4. Read the following and answer.

(A) Say WHAT

(a)  What troubled Della on Christmas Eve?

Answer: Having only $1.87 to buy Jim a Christmas gift troubled Della on Christmas Eve.

(b) What was the current family income?

Answer: The current family income was twenty dollars a week.

(c) What could have outshone Queen of Sheba’s jewels?

Answer: Della’s beautiful hair could have outshone Queen of Sheba’s jewels.

(d) What was the cost of the fob chain?

Answer: The cost of the fob chain was twenty-one dollars.

(e)  What sent Jim into a trance, on his return?

Answer: Seeing Della with her hair cut off sent Jim into a trance on his return.

(B) Say WHY

(a) Why did Della sell her lovely long hair?

Answer: Della sold her lovely long hair to get money to buy Jim a Christmas present.

(b)  Why was Della a bit apprehensive after she had sold her hair?

Answer: Della was a bit apprehensive because she feared Jim might not find her pretty without her hair.

(c) Why did Jim avoid checking the time in his gold watch, in a public place?

Answer: Jim avoided checking the time in his gold watch in public because he was ashamed of its old leather strap.

(d) Why did Della’s scream of joy change to loud wails?

Answer: Della’s scream of joy changed to loud wails because she realized her hair was gone, so she couldn’t use the combs Jim gave her.

(e) Why in the end, did Jim ask Della to put the chops on?

Answer: Jim asked Della to put the chops on to move past the irony of their unusable gifts and focus on their love and togetherness.

(C) Say WHEN

(a)  When had Jim added ‘Dillingham’ as his middle name?

Answer: Jim had added ‘Dillingham’ as his middle name during a period of prosperity when he earned $30 a week.

(b)  When did a tear or two drop on the old red carpet?

Answer: A tear or two dropped on the old red carpet when Della hesitated while letting her hair down before selling it.

(c) When did Della go through goods in the stores?

Answer: Della went through goods in the stores after selling her hair to find a gift for Jim.

(d)  When did Della say a silent prayer to God?

Answer: Della said a silent prayer to God when she heard Jim’s footsteps, hoping he’d still find her pretty.

(e)  When did Jim try to divert their attention for ten seconds, at least?

Answer: Jim tried to divert their attention for ten seconds after Della asked about her hair, before revealing his gift.

5. Complete: Use the chart below to explain situational irony in ‘The Gift of the Magi’.

6. Complete the following activity.

Word List: agile, cascade, coveted, instigate, prudence, assertion, chronicle, inconsequential, predominating, subside, gobbling

1. What is a small waterfall?

Answer: A small waterfall is a cascade.

2. What means you wished greedily for something?

Answer: You wished greedily for something means coveted.

3.What describes something important?

Answer: Something important is described by assertion.

4. What do you hope a loud siren will do?

Answer: You hope a loud siren will subside.

5.What do troublemakers do?

Answer: Troublemakers instigate.

7. Complete the following basic plot diagram:

Answer:

8. Pick out from the story words that mean the following.

 Against each consumer write (N) if it is a Noun (V) for Verb and (Adj) for Adjective

9. Think and answer on your own in a few sentences.

(a)  What would you do if you ran short of money, to buy a birthday gift for one of your parents/siblings?

Answer: If I ran short of money, I would make a handmade card or help with chores to show my love instead of buying something expensive.

(b) Think of two alternatives that could have prevented Della and Jim from selling their most precious possessions.

Answer: Della and Jim could have made gifts like a drawing or poem, or they could have borrowed money from a friend and repaid it later.

(c)   Justify the title of the story, ‘The Gift of the Magi’.

Answer:- The title is justified because Jim and Della’s selfless sacrifices mirror the Magi’s wise and loving gift-giving to Jesus, showing true wisdom in love.

(d)   Gifts that you buy have fixed prices/rates. How can the buyer increase the value of a gift bought for someone very dear in the family?

Answer:- The buyer can increase the value by adding a heartfelt note or spending time with the person, making it more meaningful.

(e)  What situation is the climax of the story? How does it end up as an anticlimax?

Answer:- The climax is when Jim reveals he sold his watch for combs. It becomes an anticlimax because the gifts are useless, yet their love shines through.

(f)  If you share this story with some friends in a junior class, how would they react in the end?

Answer: -Junior class friends would feel surprised by the twist and touched by Jim and Della’s love and sacrifices.

(g)  Who were the very first people to give Christmas gifts? What had inspired them to do so?

Answer:- The very first people were the Magi, inspired by the birth of Jesus and their desire to honor him with valuable gifts.

(h)  At the end of the story, O Henry remarks that of all who give gifts, Della and Jim were the wisest. Think and explain this paradoxical remark.

Answer:- Though their sacrifices seem foolish since the gifts were unusable, they were the wisest because their love and selflessness surpassed material value.

10. Pick out and rewrite the exact sentence:

(a)  Which sentence indirectly implies Della was not too happy about bargaining for grocery etc.?

Answer: “Pennies saved one and two at a time 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.”

(b)   Which sentence indirectly implies the flat was in a dilapidated condition?

Answer: “A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad.”

(c)  Which sentence indirectly implies King Solomon would express his jealousy of Jim?

Answer: “Had King Solomon 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.”

(d)  Which sentence indirectly implies Della spent a joyful time, for two hours?

Answer: “Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings.”

(e)  Which sentence indirectly implies Della’s elated mood underwent a change as she opened her gift?

Answer: “And then an ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails.”

(f)  Which sentence indirectly implies the weekly income amount does not matter?

Answer: “Eight dollars a week or a million a year-what is the difference?”

(g)  Which sentence indirectly implies let us set aside our gifts and get ready for dinner?

Answer: “Let’s put our Christmas presents away and keep ’em a while.”

11. Frame wh-questions to get the underlined answers.

1. What is life made up of?

Answer: Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles.

2.What had she spent many a happy hour planning for?

Answer: Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him.

3 .How far did her hair reach?

Answer: Her hair reached below her knee.

4. Why was she ransacking the stores?

Answer: She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.

5. When was the coffee made?

Answer: At 7 o’clock the coffee was made.

6.Who were the magi?

Answer: The magi were wise men.

12. (A) Add appropriate question tags.

1.  Della leaped up, _didn’t she?__

 2.You’ll have to look at the time, _won’t you?__ 

3. They were expensive combs, _weren’t they __?

 4. I just had to do it, _didn’t I__?

 5.I am still pretty, _aren’t I?

 6. Give it to me quick, _won’t you__?

 7. There was clearly nothing to do, __  was there_?

 8. My hair grows so fast, _doesn’t it __?

9. Let’s put our Christmas presents away, _shall we__?

 10. She had a habit of saying a silent prayer, _didn’t she __?

(B) Supply short answers (Pronoun + Auxiliary Verb)

1.  Don’t you like me?

Answer: Yes, I do.

2. Have you cut off your hair?

Answer: Yes, I have.

3.  Shall I put the chops on?

Answer: Yes, you shall.

4. Isn’t it a dandy?

Answer: Yes, it is.

5. Does it make a difference?

Answer: No, it doesn’t.

6. Will you buy my hair?

Answer: No, I won’t.

7. Can you afford it?

Answer: No, I can’t.

8.  Are you fooling me?

Answer: No, I’m not.

13. Pick out the infinitives/gerunds/participles from the following sentences and state what each one is.

1. Pick out and classify: “I want to see how it looks.”

Answer: to see – Infinitive

2.Pick out and classify: “I don’t like frightening stories.”

Answer: frightening – Participle

3. Pick out and classify: “We decided to settle in Pune.”

Answer: to settle – Infinitive

4. Pick out and classify: “Playing sitar is Arjun’s hobby.”

Answer: Playing – Gerund

5. Pick out and classify: “It was a horrifying experience for all of us.”

Answer: horrifying – Participle