Option C, "So, Rainsford is not justified because there is no proof he acted in self-defense"
Answer: Every day, we make hundreds of choices.
Explanation: We choose what to wear, what to do when we get home from work or school, and how to respond when someone makes fun of us. Sometimes we also make big decision, such as what kind of school to go to, what career to pursue, whether to get married, and whether to have a child. Sometimes people make decisions that are even bigger than these because the decisions affect hundreds or millions of people - decisions about war and peace or about changes in the laws. Even if we ourselves don't make such big decisions, we need to understand how they are made. Most of the time, we make these choices without thinking. For small, routine choices such as how to respond when your friend starts a conversation with you, you do not need to think. You have learned how to talk and how to behave in a friendly way without thinking at all, and your habits serve you well. You could behave differently than you do, of course, but your behavior is probably fine as it is. In other cases, though, you THINK about your decisions, from what to wear in the morning to how to spend your money. Sometimes people make choices without thinking when they really ought to think a bit. For example, we sometimes say things that hurt people's feelings and then we feel bad for having said them. Can you think of other examples of things we do because we didn't think first? WHEN it is worth thinking about decisions and, mostly, HOW to think about them once you start thinking. It will teach by example. You will be given a problem about decision making. First, think about the problem and try to answer it. You can discuss the problem with someone else. Then turn the page and look at the answer carefully. Where do these answers come from, and why are they right? The answers come from a field of study called decision theory. It is taught in colleges and graduate schools. It is sometimes used as a way of making very important decisions such as whether to have surgery or where to locate an airport. People who study decision theory and write about agree about some things and disagree about others.
"The Gift of the Magi" tells the story of a young couple Jim and Della. Christmas is coming, and each wants to buy the other a present. The problem is that they really cannot afford to spend a lot of money on presents. Jim treasures his gold pocket watch, which has been given to him by his father. Della treasures her long, beautiful hair.
As the story progresses, the two struggle to think of ways to buy a Christmas present for each other. Finally, on Christmas Eve, Della realizes she has next to no money left for her husband's Christmas present. What will she do???
At this point, she goes into town to search for something to buy with the little money she has. She knows that her husband's most prized possession is his pocket watch. She thinks that maybe she could buy him a chain for it, but they are all too expensive.
That's when Della realizes she has a way to EARN the money -- her hair. She runs out and has it cut short. She is able to sell the hair for enough money to buy the chain for her husband's watch.
Her husband comes home with a present for Della. When he sees her, however, he is shocked. She tells him she cut her hair for his present. When Jim hands her his present, we can see why he was so shocked. He had bought her a pair of really expensive hair combs. How could he afford such a gift? He had sold his most prized possession -- his watch -- just to buy his wife a present.
Of course, now that Della has short hair, she cannot use the combs. And, now that Jim has sold his watch, he has no use for the chain. That aside, their love for one another is the greatest gift of all.
And so, Della's problem was how to buy a gift for her beloved husband. She solves this problem by selling her most prized possession, her hair.
