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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Bob describes Jimmy as the "staunchest" man in the world, what does this show that Bob believes about Jimmy?

2. On page 621, how does the plainclothes officer refer to his meeting with Bob?

3. What causes the officer to suddenly slow down?

4. What reason does the waiting man give the police officer for his presence?

5. The narrator says, on page 619, that something has "well nigh depeopled the streets." In this context, what does the phrase "well nigh" mean?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What is the effect of the passage depicting Bob continuing to wait in the doorway as it begins to rain?

5. How does the introduction of Bob's character contrast with the introduction of Jimmy's character?

6. How did Bob and Jimmy know one another, 20 years ago?

7. What does the note from Jimmy explain to Bob?

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

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

10. Describe the story's opening moments, including its setting.

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Write an essay in which you make and defend a claim about the thematic motifs of materialism and greed in "After Twenty Years." Support your ideas with evidence from the text.

Essay Topic 2

O. Henry clearly admired New York City police officers. His stories hold them up as examples of humble servants of the public good. Research "Tammany Hall" and then write an essay comparing O. Henry's police officers with the historical reality. Cite all sources in MLA format.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay that makes and defends a claim about diction in "After Twenty Years." Be sure that your essay goes beyond labeling types of diction and noting the effect of particular word choices; you should establish a claim in the beginning of your essay about the significance of patterns of diction choices to the meaning or impact of the text as a whole. Use quoted textual evidence to support your arguments.

(see the answer keys)

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