Insert
The source that follows is:
- Source A: 20th-century prose fiction
- The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
An extract from a work first published in 1905.
This extract is taken from O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi. On Christmas Eve, Della, living in poverty with her husband Jim, counts her meagre savings and, determined to buy him a worthy gift, sacrifices her beautiful hair.
Source A
1 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
6 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
11 Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection
16 that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first
21 stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout
26 for the mendicancy squad. In the vestibule below was a letter-box into which no letter would go, and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.
31 Also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name “Mr. James Dillingham Young.”
36 The “Dillingham” had been flung to the breeze during a former period of prosperity when its possessor was being paid 20, though, they were thinking seriously of contracting
41 to a modest and unassuming D. But whenever Mr. James Dillingham Young came home and reached his flat above he was called “Jim” and greatly hugged by Mrs. James Dillingham Young, already
46 introduced to you as Della. Which is all very good. Della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. She
51 stood by the window and looked out dully at a gray cat walking a gray fence in a gray backyard. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and she had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving
56 every penny she could for months, with this result. Twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater than she had calculated. They always are. Only $1.87 to buy a
61 present for Jim. Her Jim. Many a happy hour she had spent planning for something nice for him. Something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being
66 worthy of the honor of being owned by Jim. 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
71 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
76 the art. Suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within
81 twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length. Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which
86 they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim’s gold watch that had been his father’s and his grandfather’s. The other was Della’s hair. Had the queen of Sheba
91 lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all
96 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.
101 So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a
106 garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
111 On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a whirl of skirts and with the brilliant sparkle still in her eyes, she fluttered out the
116 door and down the stairs to the street. Where she stopped the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, and collected herself, panting.
121 Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked the “Sofronie.” “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della.
126 “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.
131 “Twenty dollars,” said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand. “Give it to me quick,” said Della.
136 Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. Forget the hashed metaphor. She was ransacking the stores for Jim’s present.
Questions
Instructions
- Answer all questions.
- Use black ink or black ball point pen.
- Fill in the boxes on this page.
- You must answer the questions in the spaces provided.
- Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages.
- Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.
- You must refer to the insert booklet provided.
- You must not use a dictionary.
Information
- The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
- Time allowed: 1 hour 45 minutes
- The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
- There are 40 marks for Section A and 40 marks for Section B.
- You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your reading in Section A.
- You will be assessed on the quality of your writing in Section B.
Advice
- You are advised to spend about 15 minutes reading through the source and all five questions you have to answer.
- You should make sure you leave sufficient time to check your answers.
Section A: Reading
Answer all questions in this section. You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.
Question 1
Read again the first part of the source, from lines 1 to 5.
Answer all parts of this question.
Choose one answer for each question.
1.1 What are we told to 'take a look at'?
- the home
- the vestibule below
- the electric button
[1 mark]
1.2 According to the narrator, what is wrong with the letterbox and the doorbell at the building's entrance?
- Neither the letterbox nor the doorbell works.
- The letterbox is overflowing with post and the doorbell rings constantly.
- The letterbox has been removed and the doorbell has been replaced by a knocker.
[1 mark]
1.3 Where was the letter-box?
- in the vestibule below
- in the home
- in the furnished flat
[1 mark]
1.4 According to the narrator, what is true of the letter-box and the electric button in the building's vestibule?
- Both are present but unusable.
- Both have been removed for repairs.
- Both are new and working perfectly.
[1 mark]
Question 2
Look in detail at this extract, from lines 101 to 110 of the source:
101 So now Della’s beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a
106 garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.
How does the writer use language here to present Della’s hair and her feelings? You could include the writer’s choice of:
- words and phrases
- language features and techniques
- sentence forms.
[8 marks]
Question 3
You now need to think about the structure of the source as a whole. This text is from the start of a story.
How has the writer structured the text to create a sense of empathy?
You could write about:
- how empathy deepens throughout the source
- how the writer uses structure to create an effect
- the writer's use of any other structural features, such as changes in mood, tone or perspective.
[8 marks]
Question 4
For this question focus on the second part of the source, from line 16 to the end.
In this part of the source, Della's decision to sell her hair is a sudden and dramatic moment. The writer suggests that making a great sacrifice is the truest way to show love.
To what extent do you agree and/or disagree with this statement?
In your response, you could:
- consider your impressions of Della's decision to sell her hair
- comment on the methods the writer uses to convey the importance of her sacrifice
- support your response with references to the text.
[20 marks]
Question 5
At the city careers fair, organisers are inviting creative writing entries about moments in working life.
Choose one of the options below for your entry.
-
Option A: Write a description of a busy newsroom from your imagination. You may choose to use the picture provided for ideas:
-
Option B: Write the opening of a story about admitting a mistake at work.
(24 marks for content and organisation, 16 marks for technical accuracy)
[40 marks]