Question

by o. henry (excerpt)
(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 ones 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.
(2) 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 that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.
(3) while the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first 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 for the mendicancy squad.
(4) 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. also appertaining thereunto was a card bearing the name \mr. james dillingham young.\ 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, the letters of \dillingham\ looked blurred, as though they were thinking seriously of contracting 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 introduced to you as della. which is all very good.
(5) della finished her cry and attended to her cheeks with the powder rag. she stood by the window and looked out dully at a grey cat walking a grey fence in a grey backyard. tomorrow would be christmas day, and she had only $1.87 with which to
select the correct answer
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(7) suddenly she whirled the window and stood before the glass. her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had its colour within twenty. rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.
what does the author mean when he writes that dellas \face had lost its colour\?
a. dellas complexion is fair and
b. dellas hair is her only element of beauty
c. della has realized what she must give up for jim
d. della has become sick with worry about jims gift

Explanation:

In the story, Della is trying to find a Christmas gift for Jim. When she realizes she has to give up her long hair (a precious possession) to get money for the gift, her face losing color shows her emotional turmoil and realization of the sacrifice. Option C aligns with this context as it implies she has understood what she must part with (her hair) for Jim. Option A is just a description of complexion which is not relevant to the emotional context. Option B is about hair being beauty but not about the sacrifice realization. Option D about being sick with worry is not as directly related as the sacrifice realization in the story context.

Answer:

C. Della has realized what she must give up for Jim