“After Twenty Years”
By: O. Henry
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____ 1. In “After Twenty Years,” what has happened to the restaurant where the two friends had agreed to
meet?
a.
b.
c.
d.
It has closed for the evening.
It has changed management.
It has forbidden the man to enter.
It has been closed for five years.
____ 2. In “After Twenty Years,” why does the policeman make a point of asking the man in the doorway
whether he plans to wait for Jimmy Wells to show up?
a. He is testing him to find out whether he is a trusted friend.
b. He wants to see whether he has time to call another officer to arrest him.
c. He needs time to change out of his uniform and come back to surprise his
friend.
d. He needs time to find out whether there is an outstanding warrant for his
arrest.
____ 3. Which of the following statements best summarizes the meaning of this quotation from “After
Twenty Years”?
“It [twenty years] sometimes changes a good man into a bad one.”
a.
b.
c.
d.
A life of crime can change a good man into a bad man.
The West is likely to change a good man into a bad man.
Over the course of twenty years, a good man may turn to crime.
You are lucky that life in the West did not change you into a bad man.
____ 4. What is ironic about Jimmy and “Silky” Bob in “After Twenty Years”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
One has become a police officer, and one has become a criminal.
One has grown taller, while the other has grown shorter with age.
Both of them have become criminals.
Neither of them ever liked the other.
____ 5. Which of the following choices is an example of dramatic irony?
a. An audience can predict that the hero of a story will die.
b. A character says, “That dress looks so good on you,” while thinking that it
looks awful.
c. Readers know who the villain is, but the other characters do not realize it.
d. A politician who criticizes his opponent's moral character is convicted of lying
under oath.
____ 6. When “Silky” Bob says that “each of us ought to have our destiny worked out,” what does he
mean?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Their futures will have been decided.
They will have solved their puzzles.
They will have paid off their debts.
Their unhappiness will have eased.
____ 7. When two events occur simultaneously,
a.
b.
c.
d.
both happen at the same time.
one happens before the other.
one cannot be separated from the other.
both take place for only a short time.
____ 8. A story with an intricate plot
a.
b.
c.
d.
involves two characters who are close friends.
probably has many characters and story lines.
is usually straightforward and easy to follow.
always describes events in the same sequence.
____ 9. Why does the policeman in “After Twenty Years” slow down when he sees the man in the
doorway?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He is lonely and welcomes the chance to talk to someone.
He immediately recognizes the man in the doorway.
He is generally suspicious of people standing in doorways.
He is keeping the appointment to meet his friend.
____ 10. In “After Twenty Years,” the fact that the man in the doorway provides the police officer with a long
explanation shows that
a.
b.
c.
d.
he is unfamiliar with the neighborhood.
he does not recognize his old friend.
he has something to hide.
he is guilty of a crime.
____ 11. In “After Twenty Years,” why does “Silky” Bob fail to recognize his old friend?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Jimmy had always said that he had no respect for policemen.
Jimmy was unattractive as a young man.
Bob cannot imagine that Jimmy would become a policeman.
Bob does not expect Jimmy to show up.
____ 12. In “After Twenty Years,” when the man claiming to be Jimmy first approaches “Silky” Bob, what first
arouses Bob's suspicions about him?
a.
b.
c.
d.
his height
his nose
his walk
his voice
____ 13. At what point in “After Twenty Years” does Jimmy first realize that his friend is a wanted criminal?
a.
b.
c.
d.
when he sees Bob's large diamond scarfpin
when Bob strikes a match that lights up his face
as soon as Jimmy walks up to the doorway
minutes after Jimmy walks away from Bob
____ 14. What is ironic about the ending of “After Twenty Years”?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Jimmy is the policeman who talks to Bob and then has Bob arrested.
The man who shows up claiming to be Jimmy is really a criminal.
Bob is sure that Jimmy is alive and that he will keep the appointment.
Jimmy arrests Bob when he realizes that he is a wanted criminal.
____ 15. Which of the following choices is an example of situational irony?
a. The clumsiest little girl in the neighborhood grows up to be a respected brain surgeon.
b. A character says, “You never looked younger,” while noticing his friend's gray hair.
c. Readers know that the Wolf is in the bed, but Little Red Riding Hood thinks it is
Grandma.
d. Goldilocks realizes that the Three Bears have eaten her porridge and slept in her bed.
After Twenty Years
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. ANS: D
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.1
DIF: easy
OBJ: Comprehension
TOP: Critical Reading
2. ANS: B
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.4
DIF: easy
OBJ: Interpretation
TOP: Critical Reading
3. ANS: C
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.4
DIF: easy
OBJ: Interpretation
TOP: Critical Reading
4. ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: easy
STA: NC.LA.7.IR.2.02.2 | NC.LA.7.LT.5.01.8
OBJ: Literary Analysis
TOP: Critical Reading
5. ANS: C
PTS: 1
DIF: easy
STA: NC.LA.7.IR.2.02.2 | NC.LA.7.LT.5.01.8
OBJ: Literary Analysis
TOP: Critical Reading
6. ANS: A
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.GU.6.01.6
DIF: easy
TOP:
OBJ: Vocabulary
Vocabulary
7. ANS: A
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.GU.6.01.6
DIF: average
TOP:
OBJ: Vocabulary
Vocabulary
8. ANS: B
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.GU.6.01.6
DIF: average
TOP:
OBJ: Vocabulary
Vocabulary
9. ANS: D
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.4
DIF: challenging OBJ: Interpretation
TOP: Critical Reading
10. ANS: B
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.4
DIF: average
OBJ: Interpretation
TOP: Critical Reading
11. ANS: C
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.4
DIF: challenging OBJ: Interpretation
TOP: Critical Reading
12. ANS: A
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.1
DIF: average
OBJ: Comprehension
TOP: Critical Reading
13. ANS: B
PTS: 1
STA: NC.LA.7.LA.1.02.1
DIF: average
OBJ: Comprehension
TOP: Critical Reading
14. ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: average
STA: NC.LA.7.IR.2.02.2 | NC.LA.7.LT.5.01.8
OBJ: Literary Analysis
TOP: Critical Reading
15. ANS: A
PTS: 1
DIF: average
STA: NC.LA.7.IR.2.02.2 | NC.LA.7.LT.5.01.8
OBJ: Literary Analysis
TOP: Critical Reading