Question

Read the passage.

This scene depicts the meeting between the man from the West and the other man.

excerpt from "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry

About twenty minutes he waited, and then a tall man in a long overcoat, with collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street. He went directly to the waiting man.

“Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.

“Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man in the door.

“Bless my heart!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other’s hands with his own. “It’s Bob, sure as fate.

Refer to Explorations in Literature for the complete version of this story.

Why is this scene part of the rising action of the story?


The scene sets forth the reason for the characters' interaction.

The trap in which Jimmy caught Bob is explained.

New information that moves the plot forward is introduced.

The story reaches its highest point of tension when the two men finally meet.

Answer 1

The answer is C: New information that moves the plot forward is introduced.

Answer 2

New information that moves the plot forward is introduced.

Step-by-step explanation:

This is the reason why this part of the narrative would be considered part of the rising action of the story. In this section of the story, we find out new information. We find out that the two characters do meet, and that they recognize each other. This new information allows the plot to move forward, which eventually will lead us to the climax.