Name the ironical story in which a wife sells her hair to buy a watch chain for the husband who sold his watch to buy combs for his wife.

• A. The Gift of the Magi
• B. The Necklace
• C. The Cask of Amontillado
• D. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Answer: (A)

This question is about irony, specifically a situational irony where actions meant to improve life end up highlighting a different truth. The Gift of the Magi shows a young couple who sacrifice their most valued possessions to buy gifts for one another, only to have those gifts become impractical because of the very sacrifices. The wife sells her hair to buy a watch chain for her husband, who has sold his watch to buy combs for his wife. The twist reveals that love and sacrifice matter more than the material gifts, which is the hallmark of the story’s ironic effect.

Other works listed involve different plots and themes, so they don’t fit the described scenario. The Necklace centers on a woman who loses a borrowed necklace and endures a different kind of hardship, not an exchange between spouses. The Cask of Amontillado is a tale of revenge, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi is an adventure about a mongoose.