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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. What does the plainclothes officer hand to Bob?
(a) The "Wanted" poster with his face on it.
(b) A note from Jimmy.
(c) A card with his Miranda rights printed on it.
(d) An arrest warrant.

2. According to Bob, why did Jimmy stay in New York?
(a) He was scared to move somewhere unknown.
(b) He loved New York too much to leave it.
(c) He had a very limited imagination.
(d) He did not want to leave his family behind.

3. What distinguishing feature does Bob have on his face?
(a) A mole.
(b) A small scar.
(c) A birthmark.
(d) A black eye.

4. Who is the author of "After Twenty Years"?
(a) Henry James.
(b) Katherine Anne Porter.
(c) Edith Wharton.
(d) O. Henry.

5. On page 621, how does the reader learn that the first police officer was actually Jimmy?
(a) The plainclothes officer reveals his true identity to Bob.
(b) Jimmy himself explains his identity.
(c) The narrator describes "the patrolman" waiting around the corner as his "oldest friend" is arrested.
(d) The plainclothes officer refers to him as "Patrolman Wells."

Short Answer Questions

1. Why are so few businesses open on the street where the officer is?

2. What does Jimmy notice about Bob's pocket watch?

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

4. What criticism does Bob have for New York itself?

5. What is the clearest purpose of describing the plainclothes officer as "submerged in his overcoat" (621)?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. When the plainclothes officer tells Bob "We'll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times," (621), what does he mean, and what does Bob likely think he means?

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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