Question

\will you buy my hair?\ asked della.
\i buy hair,\ said madame. \take yer hat off and lets
have a sight at the looks of it.\
down rippled the brown cascade.
\twenty dollars,\ said madame, lifting the mass with a
practised 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 jims present.
—the gift of the magi,
o. henry
based on dellas actions and feelings, what theme is
best expressed in this passage?
○ receiving money makes people happy.
○ making sacrifices for others is unwise because it
may not work out well.
○ sacrificing ones prized possession is the only way
to achieve happiness.
○ making sacrifices for a loved one can make a
person happy.

Explanation:

Della sells her prized hair, her most valued possession, to get money to buy a gift for Jim, her loved one. The text notes the next two hours passed "on rosy wings" and she was focused on finding Jim's present, showing she feels positive about her sacrifice for him. The other options are incorrect: the passage does not frame receiving money as the source of happiness, does not present her sacrifice as unwise, and does not claim sacrifice is the only path to happiness.

Answer:

D. Making sacrifices for a loved one can make a person happy.