O. Henry Short Stories Pre-Test

Assiduously

Done with great care, effort, and continuous attention

Clemency

Mercy or leniency granted by an authority or judge

Compulsory

Required by law or a rule; mandatory

Retribution

Punishment inflicted as vengeance or payback for a wrong

Virtuous

Showing high moral standards or righteousness

Anguish

Severe mental or physical pain or intense suffering

Habitual

Done constantly or out of habit; regular or customary

Stalwart

Strongly built, sturdy, loyal, and reliable

Plodder

A person who works or walks slowly and laboriously

Egotism

Excessive self-conceit, selfishness, or self-talk

Why does Jimmy Valentine change his identity to "Ralph D. Spencer" in Elmore, Arkansas?

A. To hide from detective Ben Price after robbing a local bank.

B. He falls in love with Annabel Adams and wants to live an honest life opening a shoe business.

C. He is forced to adopt an alias as part of his parole agreement.

D. He wants to set up a new safe-cracking operation without drawing attention.

B. He falls in love with Annabel Adams and wants to live an honest life opening a shoe business.

What emergency forces Jimmy to risk exposing his past as a master safecracker?

A. Ben Price corners him inside the Elmore Bank.

B. Young Agatha gets locked inside the bank vault before the time-lock mechanism is wound.

C. His custom tools are stolen from his suitcase.

D. Annabel asks him to demonstrate how a bank safe works.

B. Young Agatha gets locked inside the bank vault before the time-lock mechanism is wound.

How does Ben Price react after observing Jimmy break open the vault to save Agatha?

A. He places Jimmy under arrest immediately.

B. He pretends not to recognize Jimmy, addresses him as Mr. Spencer, and walks away.

C. He demands Jimmy leave town within twenty-four hours.

D. He alerts the local marshal to arrest Ralph D. Spencer.

B. He pretends not to recognize Jimmy, addresses him as Mr. Spencer, and walks away.

Why did "Silky" Bob and Jimmy Wells arrange to meet on a dark street in New York City?

A. To fulfill a pact made twenty years earlier outside Big Joe Brady's restaurant.

B. To carry out a planned robbery together.

C. To split up a fortune Bob made Out West.

D. To celebrate Jimmy's promotion to police officer.

A. To fulfill a pact made twenty years earlier outside Big Joe Brady's restaurant.

What physical detail alerts Bob that the tall man in the overcoat is NOT his old friend Jimmy Wells?

A. The man is wearing a plainclothes officer badge.

B. The man has a pug nose instead of a Roman nose.

C. The man has a thick Western accent.

D. The man has a scar near his right eyebrow.

B. The man has a pug nose instead of a Roman nose.

What key revelation is made in the note handed to Bob at the end of "After Twenty Years"?

A. The beat cop Bob spoke with at the beginning of the story was the real Jimmy Wells.

B. Jimmy Wells moved Out West five years ago.

C. Bob was set up by a rival criminal from Chicago.

D. Jimmy Wells passed away before the scheduled meeting.

A. The beat cop Bob spoke with at the beginning of the story was the real Jimmy Wells.

Why is Jimmy Valentine's decision to open his suitcase at the bank considered his "point of no return"?

Opening his suitcase reveals his burglar tools and true identity, completely ending his life as Ralph Spencer and sacrificing his freedom to save Agatha.

How does Ben Price's decision at the end of "A Retrieved Reformation" reverse reader expectations?

Instead of arresting the reformed criminal, Price pretends not to recognize him, showing unexpected mercy and acknowledging his genuine redemption.

Explain how "After Twenty Years" uses situational irony in its ending.

Bob eagerly waits to meet his old friend, only to discover that the friendly beat cop he first spoke with was actually Jimmy Wells who came to arrest him.

In "A Retrieved Reformation," what do Jimmy's custom burglar tools symbolize at the start of the story versus when he plans to give them away?

At first, they symbolize his skilled criminal identity and livelihood; later, they represent his past life and temptation, which he resolves to abandon for an honest future.