Chapter Text
Ninth Grade English Literature
Spring Semester 2016
Wednesday April 24th
Andrew Miller
Name: Amadeo
Student ID#: 15351973
Midterm Exam: Gift of the Magi
Total possible points: 60
Essay:
45 possible points, 15 per paragraph.
3 Paragraphs: Intro, Body, and Conclusion
Prompt: Explain why “Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry is essential or necessary to be taught during the 9th Grade year at our school.
Questions to consider:
- What was the author’s purpose in writing the text?
- Why do teenagers need to read this piece of literature?
- How does it connect to the world or society as a whole?
- What are the themes about life it conveys?
- Why is the author well known for the work?
- How did it affect you personally as a reader?
In “The Gift of the Magi” the married couple make big sacrifices to get each other gifts. Teenagers need to know about this because it's important to know about making a sacrifice for an important reason. There are a lot of reasons people might want you to cut your hair or give something up . You should only do it for an important reason like love or God. The author was telling about the three magi and their gifts. People need to know about that because I think a lot of people don’t know that part about Christmas as much as the other parts.
God will tell you like the author told you if its important to give something up. The wife made a really bigger sacrifice than the husband. I think she must have loved him more than he loved her because she was willing to sell her hair and he just sold a watch. Maybe the watch was more expensive but the hair was more important. The gifts that the magi had for baby Jesus were all important even though gold and myrrh which is like for death and dead people are really different just like a watch and hair. The Magi all loved Jesus and they bowed to him and we should do that even if the things we have to give aren’t the same as each other.
In conclusion, teenagers and also everybody needs to learn about making a sacrifice when its important and giving all the things you have to give even if they aren’t enough. I learned about that from the story and also other things because it's true. It's an important story because of that it's essential to teach about it because people and teenagers don’t always know that. People might not even know thats what the story was about when they read it if you don’t teach about those things in a class. Everyone should read “The Gift of the Magi” when they read about Jesus for Christmas I think.
Short Answer:
15 possible points, 3 per question
2/3
What were Della and Jim’s gifts to each other?
Della’s hair and Jim’s watch
3/3
How are their gifts like that of the Magi?
Because they were like prayer and virtue and suffering and they both suffered for each other out of love (a virtue).
1/3
What is the setting of the story?
New York
1/3
What does the title mean?
That this is a story from the Bible about Christmas.
1/3
What is a central theme of the story? Provide an example.
Sacrifice.
Returned: 4/29/16
Grade:
45/60
75%
C
Essay: 37/45
Great exploration of the ideas in the story and their significance to your life but you need to stay closer to the text and respond more directly to the prompt. You stray into outside sources not discussed in class. This is not a bible study class.
Short Answer: 8/15
Some of your answers lack detail or do not completely answer the questions.
Overall:
Good work, Amadeo
PROCTOR’S NOTE:
Test administered by: Marius de Romanus, Academic Point of Contact
Proctor: Kyle Duncan, parent volunteer
Accommodations: double time, typing device, private testing environment
Testing location: De Romanus’ office room #7
Total time permitted: 90 minutes
Time test started: 4/23/16 1:30 PM
Time expires at: 3:00 PM
Time used: 73 minutes