Multiple choice

Directions: Arrange the sentences A, B, C, D, E and F to form a coherent paragraph.

A. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. B. That was all. C. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. D. 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. E. And the next day would be Christmas. F. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents.

  1. ABCDFE

  2. ACBDEF

  3. EAFBDC

  4. AFDCEB

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The correct sequence ABCDFE follows the narrative structure of the opening paragraph from O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi." After stating the amount (A), the narrator emphasizes its insignificance (B), then breaks down the composition (C), explains how pennies were painstakingly saved (D), repeats the counting action for emphasis (F), and finally reveals the urgency that Christmas is the next day (E). This builds tension and establishes Della's desperate situation.

Keep practicing — related questions