Question

Read the excerpt from “The Gift of the Magi” below and answer the question. While the mistress of the home is gradually subsiding from the first stage to the second, take a look at the home. A furnished flat at $8 per week. It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the lookout for the mendicancy squad. Which word is used in the excerpt above to infer the mood of the setting? mistress

home
mendicancy
furnished

Answer 1

Id say the answer is probably mistress

Answer 2

Mendicancy

Step-by-step explanation:

The word "mendicancy" is used in the excerpt above to infer the mood of the setting. The word "mendicancy" refers to anything related to begging, or to being a beggar. What the word implies is that the apartment was not at all fancy, and instead was quite run-down. We also learn that it was rented with furniture for a very cheap price. This indicates that the apartment is old and shabby.