Question

select the best evidence to support the statement that della has been planning to buy jim a present for a long time.

della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. she stood by the window and looked out dully as a gray cat walked a gray fence in a gray backyard....she had only $1.87 with which to buy jim a present. she had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result. twenty dollars a week doesnt go far. expenses had been greater than she had calculated. they always are. only $1.87 to buy a present for jim. her jim....something fine and rare and sterling—something just a little bit near to being worthy of the honor of being owned by jim.

from o. henry, \the gift of the magi\

Explanation:

To support that Della planned to buy Jim a present for long, we look for evidence of extended preparation. The sentence "She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result" shows she saved over months, indicating long - term planning. Other parts describe her current situation or the money she has, not the duration of planning.

Answer:

She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result.