Read the excerpt from "The Gift of the Magi."

Had the queen of Sheba 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. This excerpt is an example of which kind of characterization?

A. indirect characterization, because it is showing Della’s pride in her long hair
B. direct characterization, because it is describing Della’s skill for decorating
C. indirect characterization, because it is revealing Della’s cultural heritage
D. direct characterization, because it is describing Della’s prized possessions

Yes or no ? a philanthropist is stingy and greedy.

Select the correct sentence. a. i feel well about starting my new classes this semester. b. despite her inexperience, helen did surprisingly well in the gymnastic competition. c. justin has a great sense of humor and can tell a joke really good. d. that tie looks well with your shirt.

When i was young enough to still spend a long time buttoning my shoes in the morning, i'd listen toward the hall: daddy upstairs was shaving, in the bathroom, and mother downstairs was frying the bacon. they would begin whispering back and forth to each other up and down the stairwell. my father would whistle his phrase, my mother would try to whistle, then hum hers backi drew my buttonhook in and out and listened to it -know it was "the merry widow." the difference was, their song almost floated with laughter. how different from the record, which growled from the beginning, as if the victrola were only slowly being wound up. they kept it running between them, up and down the stairs where i was now just about ready to run clattering down and show them my shoes. what is the effect of the parallelism used in the above excerpt? it establishes the rhythm of a duet to echo the song. it expresses the same ideas. it mirrors opposite ideas. it is a paradox.