BSEB Class 9 English Chapter 9 The Gift of the Magi Important Question Answers from English Panorama-I Book
BSEB Class 9 English The Gift of the Magi Question Answers – Looking for questions and answers for BSEB Class 9 English Panorama-I Book Chapter 9 The Gift of the Magi? Look no further! Our comprehensive compilation of important questions will help you brush up on your subject knowledge. Practising Class 9 English question answers can significantly improve your performance in the exam. Improve your chances of scoring high marks by exploring Chapter 9 The Gift of the Magi now. The questions listed below are based on the latest BSEB exam pattern. All the Questions Answers given at the back of the lesson have also been covered.
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BSEB Class 9 English Chapter 9 The Gift of the Magi Textbook Questions
A. Form small groups and discuss the following:
1. The importance of gifts on great occasions.
Ans. Gifts make occasions memorable. The receiver remembers the occasion by way of the gift and so, is reminded of the person who gifted them. Thus, gifts are a small gesture of creating happy memories.
2. Importance of Christmas, Eid, Diwali and New Year presents.
Ans. Gifts on great occasions like weddings, festivals, and milestones hold deep cultural, psychological, and social value worldwide, including in India. Gift-giving dates back to prehistoric times, where exchanges of food or tools strengthened alliances and marked community events. Giving gifts triggers dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin release, boosting happiness and well-being. Thoughtful gestures enhance mental health by creating positive feedback loops of pleasure and emotional fulfillment. Gifts build stronger bonds, express gratitude, and reinforce relationships, serving as symbols of recognition in rituals from Indian shagun to global holidays.
B.1.1 Complete the following sentences on the basis of the unit you have studied:
1. Della counted her money ……………. times.
2. Expenses had been greater than Della had ……………… .
3. The two precious possessions that Jim and Della had were ………………
4. The Queen of Sheba might have been envious of Della’s…………
5. “Will you buy my hair?” said ……………….
6. Della bought…………for her husband.
Ans.
1. three
2. calculated
3. his pocket watch and her hair
4. hair
5. Della
6. a chain
B.1.2 Answer the following questions very briefly:
1. Who are Jim and Della?
Ans. Jim and Della are Mr and Mrs James Dillingham Young.
2. Who is the mistress of the home?
Ans. Della is the mistress of the home.
3. What was the possession of Della in which she took pride?
Ans. Della took pride in the possession of her long hair.
4. What was the precious possession of Jim?
Ans. His gold pocket-watch was the precious possession of Jim.
5. Why did Della sell her hair?
Ans. Della sold her hair to get money because she wanted to buy a Christmas present for Jim.
6. What was worthy of the watch?
Ans. The fobchain.
7. Why did Della buy a platinum fob chain?
Ans. Della felt that the fob chain was simple and chaste in design just like good quality things were supposed to be. She felt that it was suitable for Jim’s watch.
B.2.1 Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements:
1. Jim will say that Della looks like a Coney Island chorus girl.
2. Della had a habit of saying noisy prayers.
3. Jim scolded Della for selling her hair.
4. Jim bought a set of combs for Della.
5. The Magi presented a gift to infant Christ.
Ans.
1. True
2. False
3. False
4. True
5. True
B.2.2 Answer the following questions briefly:
1. Why does Della say, “Please God, make him think I am still pretty”?
Ans. Della gets her long hair chopped off. She is scared that this could anger Jim and he would think that she resembles a Conney island chorus girl. So, she says this silent prayer.
2. “He simply stared at her fixedly with that peculiar expression on his face” Why did Jim stare at her fixedly?
Ans. He stared her fixedly because he had bought her a Christmas gift of hair combs. However, ironically, her long hair was now gone.
3. “May be the hairs of my head were numbered but nobody could ever count my love for you.”Why did Della say so?
Ans. Della wants to say that her love for JIm is more precious than her long hair that she got chopped off to buy him a gift.
4. Why did Jim say about their gifts that “they’re too nice to use at present?”
Ans. Jim says this because the gifts were bought so that they could use them to decorate their precious possessions. However, both of them had sold off those possessions and so, the gifts could not be used.
5. Who is a Magi? Why are Jim and Della called the Magi?
Ans. Magi were very nice people who gifted baby Jesus with thoughtful presents. Jim and Della are called the Magi because both of them bought thoughtful gifts for each other.
C.1. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. What is the significance of the title “The Gift of the Magi”?
Ans. The title indicates that the Magi gave the most thoughtful gifts to the baby Jesus. Such gifts show the love and sacrifice of the person. Similarly, Jim and Della also gave thoughtful presents and so they are called Magi. Jim sold off his valuable gold watch to buy hair combs for Della’s long hair. Ironically, Della sold off her long hair to get money and buy a platinum fob chain for Jim’s gold pocket watch. Thus, both Jim and Della sacrificed their valuable possessions to buy gifts. So, they are Magi.
2. How can you say that Jim and Della loved each other very much?
Ans. Their love for each other is shown by the fact that they gave away their material possessions so that they could express their love by gifting on Christmas. The need for expressing their love was so intense that both of them did not mind selling their valuable possessions.
3. Describe the family status as well as family life of Jim and Della.
Ans. Jim and Della were formally known as Mr. and Mrs. James Dillingham Young. They lived in a furnished rented apartment that costed $8 per week rent. Jim now earned only $20 a week and managing expenses was hard for them. The home looked shabby, just like a place where beggars could live.
4. Who invented the art of giving Christmas gifts and why are Jim and Della called the Magi?
Ans. The art of giving Christmas gifts started with the Magi who were nice people who got thoughtful gifts for infant Jesus. The gifts were marked by their love and sacrifice.
Jim and Della are called Magi because they also bought thoughtful gifts for each other. They sacrificed their valuable possessions to buy these gifts.
5. The essence of love is sacrifice. Justify this statement with reference to ‘The Gift of the Magi’. Jim and Della were right in their decision.
Ans. Both Jim and Della are epitomes of sacrifice and love. They belong to a middle-class family and have very low income and savings. However, this does not deter them to show their love for each other. They sell their valuable possessions just to buy Christmas presents which help them express their love for each other.
D. WORD STUDY
D. 1. Dictionary Use:
Ex. 1. Correct the spelling of the following words
| reflecsion | prosperiti | nervusly |
| laboreously | inconseqential | asertion |
| worshiped | yarned | previlege |
Ans.
| Incorrect spellings | Correct spellings |
| reflecsion | reflexion |
| laboreously | laboriously |
| worshiped | worshipped |
| prosperiti | prosperity |
| inconseqential | inconsequential |
| yarned | yearned |
| nervusly | nervously |
| asertion | assertion |
| previlege | privilege |
Ex. 2. Look up a dictionary and write two meanings of each of the following words – the one in which it is used in the lesson and the other which is more common.
| instigate | unassuming | intoxication |
| slender | splashed | hysterical |
| necessitating | craved | adornments |
Ans.
| Word | Meaning in lesson | Common meaning |
| instigate | Cause to happen | Force someone to do something bad |
| slender | Gracefully thin | Barely sufficient in amount |
| necessitating | Make necessary as a result | Make something necessary for someone to do |
| unassuming | modest | quiet |
| splashed | Cause a liquid to fall on something in irregular drops | a sound made by something striking or falling into liquid |
| craved | Felt a strong desire for something | To beg or demand |
| intoxication | A state of excitement, elation, or infatuation. | The state of being under the influence of alcohol |
| hysterical | Uncontrollably emotional | Affected by hysteria |
| adornments | decorations | The state of being adorned |
D.2. Word Formation
On the basis of the text complete the following blanks to form words:
predomi……………apper…………. disappr……..
generos…………..mathemati………privil…………
Ans.
Predominant appertaining disapprove
Generosity mathematician privilege
D.3. Word Meaning
Match the words given in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
| Column A | Column B |
| agile | embraced |
| cascade | active |
| janitor | soiled |
| appertaining | waterfall |
| predominating | scared |
| shabby | belonging to |
| terrified | controlling |
| assertion | doorkeeper |
| enfolded | careful |
| discreet | statement |
Ans.
| Column A | Column B |
| agile | Active |
| cascade | waterfall |
| janitor | Doorkeeper |
| appertaining | belonging to |
| predominating | controlling |
| shabby | soiled |
| terrified | scared |
| assertion | statement |
| enfolded | Embraced |
| discreet | Careful |
D.4. Phrases
Write the meaning of each of the following phrases and make at least one sentence by using each of them.
| on account of | pull out | wriggle off |
| cut off | hold out | all over |
Ans.
| phrase | meaning | sentence |
| On account of | Because of | The office is closed on account of Shivratri. |
| Cut off | The act of cutting off | We have cut off the trunk to ensure the tree remains healthy. |
| Pull out | To take out | Please pull out the car and hurry to the hospital. |
| Hold out | To offer or give | The mother held out the money for the kid. |
| Wriggle off | Move with quick, short twists | I am sure that he is guilty from the manner in which he wriggled out of the room when he saw you. |
| All over | everywhere | We searched for it all over the house. |
E. GRAMMAR
E.1. Active and Passive Voice
Read the following sentences taken from the lesson carefully:
1. She saw it. (Active)
2. He looked at it. (Active)
3. He was called Jim. (Passive)
In the first two sentences you will notice that the verbs saw and looked are in the Active Voice whereas in the third sentence the Verb was called is in the Passive Voice. In the first sentence She and in the second sentence He are doers, but in the third sentence He is not a doer but something is done to him. You will also notice that in the first sentence the Past form of the Verb see and in the second sentence the Past form of the Verb look have been used but in the third sentence the Past Participle form of the Verb call has been used with the Past and Singular form of the Verb be. If we change the Voice of the above sentences we find the following new sentences:
4. It was seen by her. (Passive)
5. It was looked at by him. (Passive)
6. People called him Jim. (Active)
Notice that the Verb saw in example 1 has been changed as was seen in example 4, looked in example 2 as was looked in example 5, and was called in example 3 as called in example 6. Mark that the Preposition at in the Active Voice of example 2 has been retained in the Passive Voice of example 5.
For changing the sentences of the Active Voice into those of the Passive Voice and vice-versa we observe certain rules. Study them carefully and follow them whenever you do exercises.
Some Important Facts:
1. Active Voice: The Subject does something.
2. Passive Voice: Something is done to the Subject.
3. Only Transitive Verbs have Passive forms. Intransitive Verbs have no passive forms.
4. In the Passive voice the form of the verb is always V³.
Rules for changing Active into Passive:
1. The Object of the Active is made the Subject of the Passive.
2. The Subject of the Active is made the Agent of the Passive.
3. An appropriate form of ‘Be’ is used with the subject in the Passive if the Active is in the Simple Present or in the simple Past. But in other conditions an appropriate form of ‘Be’ is used with the Auxiliary Verb in the sentence.
4. The Past Participle Form (i.e. V³) is used after ‘Be’.
5. Normally Preposition ‘by’ is used before the Agent of the Passive.
Note-1. Indefinite subjects in the Active Voice (like everybody, somebody, everyone, someone, one, People etc.) are deleted in the Passive Voice.
Note-2. The Tense of the Active is not changed in the Passive.
Note-3. By reversing the above rules we change the Passive into the Active.
1. Ram made this mistake (Active)
= This mistake was made by Ram. (Passive)
2. No one can solve this problem. (Active)
= This problem cannot be solved. (Passive) (‘by no one’ is not required)
E.2. Change into the Passive Voice:
1. She had spent many a happy hour.
2. Take your hat off.
3. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand.
4. He needed a new overcoat.
5. You needn’t look for it.
6. She held it out to him.
7. I sold the watch to get the money.
8. The Magi invented the art of giving Christmas presents.
9. They sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house.
Ans.
1. Many a happy hour were spent by her.
2. Your hat must be taken off.
3. The fob chain was doubled by Della in her hand.
4. A new overcoat was needed by him.
5. It needn’t be looked out for by you.
6. It was held out to him by her.
7. To get the money, the watch was sold by me.
8. The art of giving Christmas presents was invented by the Magi.
9. She held it out to him.
G. TRANSLATION
Translate the following sentences into Hindi /your mother tongue.
1. Some children were playing football in the field.
2. All the chairs were broken by Mohan.
3. Can this work be done by tomorrow?
4. Why have the thieves not been sent to jail?
5. The two cars were badly damaged in the accident.
6. Five persons will be sent to help the injured persons.
7. Jim and Della loved each other very much.
8. The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it.
9. She had a habit of saying little silent prayers.
10. A new overcoat was needed by Jim.
Ans.
1. कुछ बच्चे मैदान में फुटबॉल खेल रहे थे।
2. मोहन ने सारी कुर्सियाँ तोड़ दीं।
3. क्या यह काम कल तक किया जा सकता है?
4. चोरों को जेल क्यों नहीं भेजा गया है?
5. दुर्घटना में दोनों कारें बुरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त हो गईं।
6. घायल लोगों की मदद के लिए पाँच लोगों को भेजा जाएगा।
7. जिम और डेला एक-दूसरे से बहुत प्यार करते थे।
8. दरवाज़ा खुला और जिम अंदर आया और उसे बंद कर दिया।
9. उसे चुपचाप छोटी-छोटी प्रार्थनाएँ करने की आदत थी।
10. जिम को एक नए ओवरकोट की ज़रूरत थी।
Bihar Board Class 9 English Chapter 9 The Gift of the Magi Extra Question and Answers
Extract-Based questions
A. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. 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. Three times Della counted it. One dollar and eighty-seven cents. And the next day would be Christmas.
Q1. Who had saved the money?
Ans. Della had saved the money.
Q2. Parsimony means-
Ans. Unwillingness to spend money.
Q3. What does the line “Pennies saved one and two ……….. Close dealing implied.” mean?
Ans. It means that she saved a penny or two after a lot of bargaining with the grocer and vegetable seller and meat seller. This was very hard for her and showed her desperation to save as much she could.
Q4. Why did she count the money thrice?
Ans. She was unhappy with the meagre amount of money that she had saved.
Q5. What festival was it?
Ans. It was Christmas time.
B. The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid $30 per week. Now, when the income was shrunk to $20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting to a modest and unassuming D. But
whenever Mr. James DillinghamYoung came home and reached his flat above he was called ‘‘Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already introduced to you as Della which is all very good.
Q1. What is being talked about in the first line?
Ans. The signboard outside their apartment.
Q2. What changes were there in Jim’s pay?
Ans. Earlier he got 30 dollars a week but later it was reduced to 20.
Q3. Mrs James is also known as __________
Ans. Della.
Q4. How did the wife meet the husband?
Ans. She would hug him when he came home.
Q5. What does this show about their relationship?
Ans. It shows that the wife loved her husband, despite the reduced salary that he got.
C. There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. Perhaps you have seen a pier-glass in an $8 flat. A very thin and very agile person may, by observing his reflection in a rapid sequence of longitudinal strips, obtain a fairly accurate conception of his looks. Della, being slender, had mastered the art.
Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its colour within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.
Q1. What was the pier-glass used as?
Ans. It was used as a mirror.
Q2. How was the mirror?
Ans. The mirror was narrow in width.
Q3. Which physical quality of Della helped her use the pier-glass well?
Ans. Della was slender and so, she had mastered the art of seeing herself in the narrow mirror.
Q4. Why did her face lose colour?
Ans. She got an idea on seeing her hair. However, the result of that idea would make her lose something precious so her face lost its colour.
Q5. What does the price of the flat imply?
Ans. It implies that the flat was very small.
D. “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.
“I buy hair,” said Madame. “Take yer hat off and let’s have a sight at the looks of it.”
Down rippled the brown cascade.
“Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practiced hand.
“Give it to me quick,” said Della.
Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.
She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fobchain simple and chaste in design, properly proclaiming its value by substance alone and not by meretricious ornamentation—as all good things should do. It was even worthy of The
Watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim’s. It was like him. Quietness and value—the description applied to both. Twenty-one dollars they took from her for it, and she hurried home with the 87 cents. With that chain on his watch Jim might be properly anxious about the time in any company. Grand as the watch was, he sometimes looked at it on the sly on account of the old leather strap that he used in place of a chain.
Q1. What does cascade here refer to?
Ans. Della’s long brown hair.
Q2. How much money did she offer to buy Della’s hair?
Ans. Twenty dollars.
Q3. What did Della do with the money?
Ans. She bought a fobchain as a gift for Jim.
Q4. The chain was made of _________
Ans. platinum
Q5. How much did the chain cost?
Ans. Twenty-one dollars.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Q1. Why was Della saving money?
A. to buy combs
B. to buy a new dress
C. to buy a Christmas gift
D. to pay rent
Ans. C. to buy a Christmas gift
Q2. How much money did Della save from her home expenses?
A. $21
B. $1.87
C. $20
D. $2.87
Ans. B. $1.87
Q3. How did Della feel on seeing the amount saved?
A. She was satisfied.
B. She was sad and hopeless
C. She was excited
D. She was remorseful
Ans. B. She was sad and hopeless
Q4. What was the weekly rent of the flat where they lived?
A. $20
B. $30
C. $8
D. $10
Ans. C. $8
Q5. The flat looked like one where ___________ lived.
A. kings
B. the rich
C. beggars
D. saints
Ans. C. beggars
Q6. Mr James Dillingham Young is also known to us as ___
A. Jean
B. Jam
C. Jim
D. Jonas
Ans. C. Jim
Q7. Who were the Magi?
A. wise men
B. cheat men
C. warrior men
D. noble men
Ans. A. wise men
Q8. Which tradition was started by the Magi?
A. dancing
B. singing
C. baking
D. gifting
Ans. D. gifting
Q9. Jim sold his _________ to buy a gift for Della.
A. watch
B. car
C. coat
D. home
Ans. A. watch
Q10. Della sold her ____ to buy a gift for Jim.
A. hair
B. watch
C. combs
D. bag
Ans. A. hair
Q11. What gift did Jim buy for Della?
A. a flat
B. a car
C. hair combs
D. nothing
Ans. C. hair combs
Q12. What did the Magi do?
A. gave presents
B. gave a sermon
C. gave blessings
D. sang songs
Ans. A. gave presents
Q13. When did the Magi give presents?
A. on Christ’s death
B. never
C. on Christ’s birth
D. everyday
Ans. C. on Christ’s birth
Q14. Jim and Della were _________ in sacrificing their precious treasures.
A. wise
B. unwise
C. proud
D. all of these
Ans. B. unwise
Q15. Which of the following is NOT true for the combs?
A. they had tortoise shells on them
B. they had diamonds encrusted on them
C. they had jewels on the edge
D. they were made of a shiny material
Ans. B. they had diamonds encrusted on them
Q16. ‘Yearned’ means-
A. longed deeply
B. gained money
C. felt nervous
D. learned slowly
Ans. A. longed deeply
Q17. Find a synonym for ‘adornments’-
A. debt
B. decorations
C. worship
D. pay
Ans. B. decorations
Q18. Della’s hair is called-
A. dump
B. mountain
C. waterfall
D. cascade
Ans. D. cascade
Q19. Which of the following best describes ‘nimble’-
A. dragging footsteps
B. crawling
C. quick and light movement
D. heavy noisy steps
Ans. C. quick and light movement
Q20. What was Della’s initial reaction on seeing the gift?
A. laughter
B. cry of pain
C. scream of joy
D. sob
Ans. C. scream of joy
Extra Questions
Q1. Why was Della saving money?
Ans. She was saving money to buy a Christmas present for her husband, Jim.
Q2. How much money did Della save?
Ans. She managed to saved one dollar and eighty-seven cents.
Q3. What sacrifice did Della make to buy the gift?
Ans. Della sold her long beautiful hair to pay for the gift.
Q4. Where did Della sell her hair?
Ans. She sold her hair at a place that had a sign saying “Madame Sofronie”.
Q5. How did Jim buy the gift for Della?
Ans. Jim sold his pocket watch to buy the gift.