Question

Read the passage.

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

excerpt from "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry

"You’re not Jimmy Wells," he snapped. "Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man’s nose from a Roman to a pug."

"It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one," said the tall man. "You’ve been under arrest for ten minutes, ‘Silky’ Bob."

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

Why is this conversation the climax of the story?


All of the questions are answered for the reader.

The characters reach a turning point in the action when Bob is arrested.

It is the most exciting part of the story because Bob becomes angry.

Readers learn what Jimmy looks like and that he was at the earlier meeting place.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option two. At this point, Bob realizes that the man he is talking to is not his old friend Jimmy. Moreover, it is revealed that Bob is actually a criminal. Bob's real old friend Jimmy - who is a policeman - refuses to arrest Bob by himself. So he sends another police officer - dressed in plain clothes - to arrest Bob.