After Twenty Years Story Question Answer class 12 English
After Twenty Years Story Question Answer +2 First Year English
AFTER TWENTY YEARS
William Sydney Porter was an American writer. He was known by his pen name O’ Henry. He lived for a successful period of forty-eight years. Before his death, he had written a good number of short stories .All his short stories are known for their wit, wordplay, warm characterization and surprise.
About the story after twenty years
Now-a-days people mostly value their personal value, their personal relationship. They even undermine their duty when it clashes with their personal relationship. But there are still people who prefer duty to their relationship. Duty is God to them. O’ Henry describes this story to show – ‘devotion to duty trumps over personal relationships.
In the story, there are two friends who get separated at a point of time and meet again after a period of twenty years. But the duty of a friend compels him to undermine his relationship. A friend in the way of his duty has been forced to arrest his friend. The story is narrated in three units which depict the irony and pathos of life in a subtle and dramatic manner.
Word meaning with sentences
Wit: the ability to say or while things that are both clever and amusing
She is a woman of it and intelligence.
Wordplay: use of words
He makes batter wordplay in this writing.
Characterization: character in book or play seem real
The success of the play depends much on its characterization.
Surprise: unexpected event or happenings, a feeling of astonishment
Her position in the top ten was a surprise in the last H.S.C examination.
Value: wroth
We should better understand the value of life.
Relationship: relation among people, friendship
He should regard our relationship.
Triumph: Victory, win
Indians are happy with our world-cup triumph
On the beat: On the route doing patrol duty
Quiet road: Road free from noise
He was walking freely on a quiet road.
Habitual: doing something continuously
Spectators: onlookers, viewers
Spectators sit in the gallery to watch the match.
Kept early hours: went back home early in the night
Chilly winds: too cold winds
We could not go out because of chilly winds blowing outside.
Drizzle: dribble, raining lightly
There was a drizzle in the morning.
Developed: emptied of people
The streets of the city were developed by the evening as curfew.
Examining: inspecting, searching, checking
Playful: full of fun
His activities were mostly playful.
Movements: moving
We cannot feel the movements of the earth.
Small stick: lathi
The policeman always moves with a small stick or lathi.
Stalwart: sturdy, well-built
He is a stalwart figure.
Guardian of the law: protector of law
The policeman is a guardian of the law.
Tailoring shop: dressmaker’s shop
Watchful eyes
Nobody can escape from his watchful eye.
Pale face: whitish face
Square jaws: jaws having equal sides
White scar: a white mark left on the skin
Ashamed: felt shame
He is ashamed of his bad manner.
Notorious: famous for bad quality
Terrorists are notorious criminals.
Counterfeit: Illegal
Serious affair: grave matter Terrorism is a serious affair of our country.
Lamp-post: a post given light
He was standing under a lamp-post and waiting for a friend.
Five dollar note: American five dollar note
Photograph: picture of a person drawn by experts basing on the reports about his or her face
The reconstructed photograph of the leader of the terrorist was broadcasted in T.V.
Described: saw (from a distance)
Suspicious: doubtful
Police can detain suspicious people for investigation.
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After Twenty Years Story Question Answer
1. How does the writer describe the atmosphere of the story?
Answer. The story begins with a policeman doing the patrolling duty in a street of New York. The time was 10 o’ cluck at night. The strict was almost calm and quiet and people had gone home in the early hours of the evening because of bad weather. The business houses were mostly closed and darkness covered the major part of the street. It was all due to chilly winds and light raining. Few lights were coming from a cigar store, and whole-night hotel and one or two tailoring shops completing the day’s work. The area coming under the lamp-pots were little lighted. Thus, the atmosphere was somewhat unsuitable and unfavorable.
2. How did the policeman perform his duties?
Answer. The policeman was on the route doing patrol duty. He was moving smartly. His smartness was real and not for the show. It was night and most of the business houses in the street were closed early due to bad weather. There was darkness everywhere except light coming from a few shops and lamp-posts. In spite of this, the policeman was inspecting every closed door. He was holding a lathi and making some funny movements. The policeman, with his well-built figure and smart movements was proving himself as the guardian of law. He was very watchful and cast his eyes on the entire peaceful road. He was seriously searching for a notorious criminal from Chicago. This duty was assigned to him by his boss and he was very confident as a dutiful officer for the last eighteen years to do the job perfectly.
3. What picture of the wanted criminal do you get from the next?
Answer. The picture of the wanted criminal given to the policeman in the morning of the said day was as follows. The criminal had a pale face, square jaws, deep and dark eyes, and a little white scar near the right eyebrow. The criminal’s name was not known and he was involved in a serious affair of printing counterfeit notes. The criminal was from Chicago. The policeman had a five dollar note and a reconstructed photograph of the criminal in his pocket.
4. How did the stranger try to interact with the policeman?
Answer. The stranger, who was standing in front of a darkened hardware store, saw a policeman coming towards him. He thought that the policeman would suspect him as he did not know his story. So when the policeman walked up to him, he said to him that he was just waiting for a friend. It was an appointment made twenty years ago. It was true, though it seemed funny. To remove the doubts of the policeman, he narrated that about twenty years ago there was a restaurant where this store stands. Its name was “Brady’s restaurant”. Then the policeman said that it was changed into a store just five years ago. In this way the stranger interacted with the policeman.
5. How did the policeman see the stranger’s face?
Answer. The stranger standing at the doorway of the hardware store was interacting with the policeman. As the place was dark the face of the stranger could not be seen. In the meanwhile, he wanted to smoke and thus struck a match and lit his cigar. This provided a chance to the policeman to see the face of the man.
6. What was the appointment made between two friends twenty years before?
Answer. The two friends in the story are Bob and Jimmy wells. Both were born and brought up in New York and bred like two brothers. When they came of age, Bob went to the west to make his fortune but Jimmy stayed in New York. On the day of parting, they had dined together in a restaurant and agreed that night they would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time in spite of their distance and living conditions. This appointment was made between two friends twenty years ago.
7. What information about the friends do you gather from their conversation?
Answer. After listening to the man about their appointment that was made twenty years ago, the policeman expressed his curiosity to know more about them. He asked the man about their correspondence, if any, during this long gap. The man said that they were in touch for a year or two but after that they lost contact with each other. It was perhaps due to an increase of work and personal involvement. He said that though Chicago was his main place of living, he moved extensively in and outside of it. Then shifting his mind to his friend the man said that his friend jimmy was always very sincere and true to his words. He would never forget their appointment. He would definitely meet him. He had come from a distance of a thousand miles to meet him and it would be worthwhile if his old friend came back. Saying so he looked at his diamond watch and the time was ten twenty-five. He said that it was exactly half past ten when they parted there at the restaurant door twenty years ago. This Brady’s restaurant had been changed into a hardware store. The policeman asked about his good income in the west which he admitted. He also expressed that his friend Jimmy would be earning at least half of his income. Though a good human being, Jimmy was very slow in brain. He had to compete with the cleverest people of the world in Chicago for his livelihood. He said that life in the west was very fast and one had to struggle hard earning and living. But the New York one becomes very ordinary. The policeman listened to all these and told him that his friend would be coming around. Before leaving him, he asked him whether he would wait for his friend or not. The man said that he would wait for his friend for an hour only. He would definitely come by that time. In short, two friends naturally exchanged pleasant words and talked about old times without recognizing each other.
8. How long did the man from the west wait? What was the weather then?
Answer. The man from the west waited about twenty minutes and then a tall man in a long overcoat came from the opposite side of the street to meet him. The weather then was very bad. The wind was too cold and the rain was continuing. People who were out hurried up home.
9. How did the man from the west and the man in a long overcoat greet each other?
Answer. When the man from the west was waiting at the doorway of the hardware store, the man with a long overcoat appeared. Looking at the man at the hardware store he doubtfully asked, “Is that you bob?” “Is that you, Jimmy wells?” asked bob. Then they could know each other and shook hands. “Bless my heart” exclaimed the new arrival. In this way they greeted each other.
10. When did Bob release that the tall man he had met was not Jimmy wells?
Answer. When Bob and the tall man reached the medicine store walking arm in arm, they could see each other’s faces in the electric lights. Bob suddenly stopped by leaving his arm. He thought that this tall man with a flat nose would be Jimmy Wells, who had a sharp nose. One could be 6 to 8 inch long in twenty years time but it is not long enough to convert a sharp nose to a flat nose. Thus bob realised that the tall man he had meet was not jimmy wells
11. Why did Jimmy get Bob arrested?
Answer. Jimmy, who was a policeman, was a man of principle, honest and dutiful. Bob, on the other hand, was a professional criminal who printed counterfeit notes and earned easy money. Once upon a time twenty years ago they were good friends. Before they got separated, they had promised to meet each other at the Brady’s restaurant where they had taken their last dinner. But when they met, Jimmy saw the face of the man who was wanted in Chicago. The responsibility and devotion of his duty made him ignore his personal relationship. Therefore he got him arrested.
12. Did Jimmy keep his appointment with Bob after twenty years? What consideration did he show for his old friend?
Answer. Yes, Jimmy did so because he was exactly on time at the hardware store where they decided to meet after twenty years. He kept his appointment. At the same time he was assigned the duty to catch a notorious criminal from Chicago. He had the reconstructed photograph of the criminal with him matched the face of his friend. So he did not disclose his identity. As a policeman he considered his duty more than his friendship. Thus instead of enjoying it with his old friend Bob after twenty years, he made him arrested by another policeman who played the role of Jimmy wells. Though he did not arrest his friend directly, he did it by another policeman. This could be his only consideration for his old friend.
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After Twenty Years Story Question Answer +2 First Year English chse odisha class 12 english
After Twenty Years Story Question Answer class 12 English
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