Read the first paragraph from O. Henry’s story “The Gift of the Magi.”

“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 one's 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.”

[*imputation of parsimony: accusation of stinginess]

Why did the author use this paragraph to open his story?

A.
It produces tension that foreshadows later events in the story.
B.
It slows the pace of the story so events do not proceed too quickly.
C.
It creates a conversational tone, as if someone were telling the story aloud.
D.
It reveals important information about one of the story’s important characters.

Read the excerpt from act 4, scene 1, of the tragedy of julius caesar. [exit lepidus] antony. this is a slight, unmeritable man, meet to be sent on errands. is it fit, the three-fold world divided, he should stand one of the three to share it? octavius. so you thought him, and took his voice who should be p to die, in our black sentence and proscription. antony. octavius, i have seen more days than you. and though we lay these honors on this man. to ease ourselves of divers sland’rous loads, he shall but bear them as the a** bears gold, to groan and sweat under the business, either led or driven as we point the way; and having brought our treasure where we will, then take we down his load, and turn him off, like to the empty a**, to shake his ears and graze in commons. what does this interaction reveal about antony’s character? select two options. he feels like he is getting old. he values the efforts of his peers. his opinion of beasts of burden is low. he presents a false demeanor to others. he is ambitious for himself and his friends.