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After Twenty Years

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Steve Menezes
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183 views5 pages

After Twenty Years

Uploaded by

Steve Menezes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AFTER TWENTY YEARS

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Describe the policeman on the beat.


Ans. The policeman moved up the street in a very
impressive manner, which was not meant to attract
attention. He kept his alert eyes on the movements of the
few people on the deserted road. His strong figure with a
slight swagger showed him to be a fine picture of a
guardian of the peace. He also kept twirling his staff in a
very artistic way while trying doors as he went along.
2. What did the man in the doorway of the
hardware store tell him?
Ans. The man in the doorway of the hardware store
assured the policeman that he was just waiting for a
friend who had made a promise to meet him there
twenty years ago.
3. How did Bob describe Jimmy?
Ans. Bob said that Jimmy Wells was his best friend and
the finest person in the world. Both of them were raised
in New York and were like brothers. He was of eighteen
and Jimmy was twenty years at that time.
4. How did the patrolman know that Bob has been
doing well?
Ans. At the beginning the patrolman noticed that Bob’s
scarf pin was a diamond, oddly set. After some time Bob
pulled out a handsome watch whose lid was set with
small diamonds. It was thus obvious to the patrolman
that Bob had been doing well.
5. When did Bob realize that the man he was
talking to was not Jimmy Wells? How did he react?
Ans. While talking, the patrolman and Bob came in front
of a drug store. They could see each other’s faces clearly
in the bright light. Suddenly, Bob noticed that the other
man’s nose was totally different from the one that Jimmy
had. Bob reacted harshly and drew his arm back from
the other man’s grip.
6. ‘He was a kind of plodder, good fellow as he
was.’
What does the speaker mean?
Ans. Bob meant to say that Jimmy was a simple man. He
had no ambition to go out of New York in search of big
fortune.
What is the meaning of plodder?
Ans. One who works slowly and steadily but without
ambition.

7. Why were the streets devoid of people?


A. The time was 10 o’ clock at night, there were chilly gusts of wind and it was
likely to rain, so the streets were devoid of people.

8. What used to be there in the place of the hardware store twenty years ago?

A. Big Joe’ Brady’s restaurant used to be in the place of the hardware shop twenty
years ago.

9. Describe the man awaiting the arrival of his friend.

A. The man had a pale, square-jawed face with keen eyes. There was a little white scar near his
right eyebrow.

10. What is the climax of the story “After Twenty Years”?


Bob identifies that the man he is talking to is not his friend. Actually, the man is a police officer
in plain clothes. He gives Bob a letter from Jimmy. Bob learns from the letter that the police
officer whom he met earlier was Jimmy, his old friend.
11.The ending of "After Twenty Years" fills the reader with poignancy making the
story effective. Discuss.
The reader expects that Bob and Jimmy Wells, the two close friends, would meet each other after
a long separation o twenty years. They would share their experiences of the past. But instead, the
ending of the story fills the reader with poignancy when one of the friends is arrested by the
other by proxy. Bob is not arrested by Jimmy Wells directly. Jimmy sends another police officer
to arrest him. So, although the friends do meet, their meeting is not a happy one.
12. Was Bob hopeful of his friend’s arrival? How do you know?
Yes, Bob was hopeful of his friend’s arrival. The lines “I’ll give him half an hour at least. If
Jimmy is alive on earth he’ll be here by that time” reveal his hopefulness of his friend’s arrival.

13. What does each of the following mean in the story? Choose the
right option.

a) on the beat:

i. moving around hitting every one with a stick

ii. on duty walking around the assigned area

iii. marching with his heart beating fast

b) guardian of peace:

i. a watchman

ii. a holy man

iii. a policeman

c) arm in arm:

i) with arms linked together

ii)with weapons in hands

iii)with handcuffs on wrists

d) plainclothes man:

i. a man who wears simple clothes for grand occasions

ii. a policeman in civilian clothes while on duty

iii. a cine artist in ordinary costumes


14. What is the nick- name by which Bob is known to the Chicago police?

A. Bob is known to the Chicago police by the nick- name of “Silky” Bob.

AFTER TWENTY YEARS

Q. “You are not Jimmy Wells.”

a. Why did the speaker say this?

Ans: The speaker said this because he felt that though twenty years was quite a long time, a
man’s nose could not have changed from a Roman to a pug.

b. Who was the listener? Why did he pretend to be Jimmy Wells?

Ans: The listener was a plainclothes policeman. He pretended to be Jimmy Wells in order to
arrest Bob, who was wanted by the Chicago police.

c. What was written in the note that the listener gave to the speaker?

Ans: In the note, Jimmy had written that he was at the appointed place at the appointed time.
However, when Bob shifted and the dim light fell on his face, Jimmy realised that he was
wanted by the Chicago police. Though he was a very dutiful officer, he could not bring himself
to arrest Bob and so had asked another policeman to arrest him.

Q. How does the writer describe the atmosphere of the story?

Ans. The story begins with a policeman patrolling a street of New York. The time was 10 ‘O’
clock at night. The street was almost calm and quiet and people had gone home in the early
hours of the evening. The business houses were mostly closed and darkness has covered the
major part of the street. It was all due to chilly winds and light rain. Few lights were coming
from a cigar store, an all-night diner and one or two other shops.

Q. Were the two friends in regular contact with each other during the twenty years? Why or
why not?

Ans. The two friends were not in regular contact with each. After parting, they had contact with
each other for a year or two but after that, they lost the track of each other because both of
them busied themselves to work out their destiny and make their future.

Q. Why is this story titled ‘After Twenty Years’?


Ans. This story is titled ‘After Twenty Years’ because it is the prearranged meeting of two close
friends who meet after twenty years which causes the conflict of the story. During the twenty
years, both of the friends have worked out their destiny and made their future. Jimmy Wells is
now a devoted policeman who enforces the law dutifully and Silky Bob has turned into a
criminal who is wanted in Chicago. Both friends meet at the doorway of a darkened hardware
store where there was once their favourite restaurant. When Silky Bob lights a match, Jimmy
Wells recognises his old friend is a wanted criminal. But after twenty years he has turned more
faithful towards his duty than friendship. At the same time, he did not ignore his friendship
totally because he does not have the heart to arrest his old friend. He sends a plain clothes man
to arrest him. This arresting man carries a letter from Jimmy Wells explaining that he was at the
appointed place on time but he had recognised his friend as the face of a man wanted in
Chicago. He could do nothing but send another policeman to arrest him .

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