Read the following excerpt from “the gift of the magi” and answer the question.

for there lay the combs--the set of combs, side and back, that della had worshipped long in a broadway window. beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jewelled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. they were expensive combs, she knew, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. and now, they were hers, but the tresses that should have adorned the coveted adornments were gone.

but she hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "my hair grows so fast, jim! and them della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "oh, oh! " jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. she held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. the dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit."isn't it a dandy, jim? i hunted all over town to find it. you'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now. give me your watch. i want to see how it looks on it."

instead of obeying, jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled."della," said he, "let's put our christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. they're too nice to use just at present. i sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. and now suppose you put the chops on."

the magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the babe in the manger. they invented the art of giving christmas presents. being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. and here i have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. but in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. o all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. everywhere they are wisest. they are the magi.

the excerpt above is an example of which story element?

a) plot complications
b) setting
c) climax
d) initiating event

(20 points) passage: this year will be a record-breaking year for storms 1it looks like 2012 will be a year for the record books. thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes have increased across the country. the storms' high winds and heavy rains are making history. early tornado and hurricane seasons 2in march, not usually a busy month for tornadoes, the south and midwest had a large number of twisters. warm weather made conditions ripe for the creation of tornadoes. on some days, twisters dropped from the sky by the dozen. 3hurricane season also came early. two tropical storms hit the southeast in may. two more strong storms followed in june. severe thunderstorms 4many states that have escaped tornadoes and hurricanes have had severe thunderstorms. these giant storms dumped several inches of rain and caused flooding across the northeast and midwest. 5the end of hurricane season is months away, and this year's storm count and rainfall amounts could leave 2011 in the dust. forecasters say the wet, windy weather might stick around until fall. labor day parade rained out 6there is no joy in green town, where the annual labor day parade was called off because of heavy rain. the town's mayor says the parade hasn't been rained out in fifty years. 7a strong band of thunderstorms hit green town on sunday. more than two inches of rain fell each hour. by monday morning, main street looked more like a creek than a parade route. mayor nora bell said she had to call off the parade. "the heavy rains have created a serious safety issue in green town," she said. 8the loss of the labor day parade is green town's second disappointment this summer. in may, the memorial day parade was also called off because of rain. "this must be one of the wettest summers in history," mayor bell said. 9according to the national weather service, mayor bell is right. this summer will break rainfall records in green town and across the country. question: who would obtain the most useful information from the passage? a) someone planning a holiday picnic. b) someone interested in documenting annual meteorological patterns. c) an advocate for the green town labor day parade. d) someone who wishes to do research on the alleged truth of the "global warming" phenomenon.