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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Before Jimmy leaves Bob, what question does he ask him?
(a) He asks whether Bob is going to keep waiting for Jimmy.
(b) He asks whether Bob ever spent time in Chicago.
(c) He asks if Bob still considers Jimmy his best friend.
(d) He asks Bob to tell him exactly how he made his money.

2. How many years separate Bob and Jimmy?
(a) 2.
(b) 0.
(c) 6.
(d) 4.

3. What is the clearest purpose of describing the plainclothes officer as "submerged in his overcoat" (621)?
(a) Establishing atmosphere.
(b) Providing foreshadowing.
(c) Amplifying conflict.
(d) Developing characterization.

4. What is it reasonable to infer is the officer's motive in listening to Bob "with interest" (621)?
(a) The officer is pretending to be Jimmy.
(b) The officer is a curious person.
(c) Bob might reveal evidence.
(d) Bob is an interesting speaker.

5. Why are so few businesses open on the street where the officer is?
(a) The city curfew means there are few customers.
(b) The businesses keep early hours.
(c) It is past midnight.
(d) The area is very poor.

Short Answer Questions

1. Bob's eyes are described as "keen" (620). What does this description of his eyes communicate about his character?

2. What regret does the plainclothes officer express while he is pretending to be Jimmy?

3. How does the plainclothes officer get Bob to walk with him?

4. What can logically be inferred about Bob and Jimmy's friendship?

5. How did the police discover that Bob was in New York?

Short Essay Questions

1. What causes Bob to finally realize that the plainclothes officer is not Jimmy Wells?

2. What is amusing about the plainclothes officer's answer to Bob's question about whether he is doing well in New York?

3. Why does Jimmy, in his role as the police officer, ask Bob if he is going to keep waiting for his friend to show up?

4. What were the circumstances of the agreement Jimmy and Bob made 20 years ago?

5. What is the significance of the similarities and differences in the ways that Bob's and the plainclothes officer's faces are revealed?

6. What is ironic about the way that Bob describes his old friend to the "policeman" he encounters?

7. Why does Bob guess that Jimmy might not be as much of a success as Bob himself has become?

8. What surprises Bob about the appearance of the man that he thinks is his old friend, and how does the man explain away Bob's doubts?

9. In the story's beginning, what evidence is there that Jimmy takes pride in his job?

10. How is Bob characterized by the accessories that he carries?

(see the answer keys)

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