"After Twenty Years" is a short story by O. Henry, first published in 1906. The story is set in New York City and tells the tale of two old friends, Jimmy and Bob, who made a pact to meet at a specific location after twenty years. The story begins with a police officer, Patrolman Wells, who .............................
After Twenty Years - Grow with words - Class 8 - English
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Back Questions - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Literature | English | Class 8
Why is the policeman walking down the street?
The policeman is walking down the street because he is on his beat, which involves patrolling the area and ensuring the safety and security of the neighbourhood.
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Why is the man waiting in the doorway?
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Sign up nowWhere does Jimmy live?
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Sign up nowHow does Bob realize that the man he is talking to at the end of the story is not Jimmy Wells?
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Sign up nowWhen was Bob arrested in the story?
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Sign up nowExplain why Jimmy didn’t want to arrest Bob.
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Sign up nowCompare Jimmy to Bob. How are they different?
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Sign up nowWas it right or wrong for Jimmy to tell a plainclothes officer to arrest Bob?
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Sign up nowTwenty years after they make the promise, the two friends meet at the appointed place and time.
a. Do the men recognise each other? If the patrolman recognised Bob, why did he not say it?
b. When they separated twenty years ago to make their destiny, what were their feelings for each other?
c. Have their feelings changed in the long years?
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Sign up nowThe patrolman goes away and a tall man, declaring himself to be Jimmy Wells, greets the man from the west. At the drug store, each of them turns to gaze upon the other’s face.
a. What does the man from the West realise about his companion?
b. How did he know that the tall man was not Jimmy Wells?
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Sign up nowThe tall man gives ‘Silky’ Bob a note from Patrolman Wells. Why did Bob’s hand tremble when he finished reading the note?
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Sign up nowBack Exercises - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Literature | English | Class 8
Find one word for the following.
Loss of memory _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (7)
Life history of a person written by oneself _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (13)
Long list of questions especially for a survey _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ (13)
Legal notice to appear in court _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (7)
One who moves from one country to another _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (7)
Loss of memory: Amnesia
Life history of a person written by oneself: Autobiography
Long list of questions especially for a survey: Questionnaire
Legal notice to appear in court: Summons
One who moves from one country to another: Migrant
Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs given in the brackets.
a. Tom generally ......................... (speak) in English.
b. I observed that Suresh ......................... (talks) a lot every time I meet him.
c. Now a days I ......................... (go) to school on my own.
d. The bus ......................... (wait) there at the corner.
e. Shashi ......................... (sail) for Singapore next Monday.
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Sign up nowRewrite the given sentences using the present continuous form of the verb.
a. Ravi works in the garage.
_________________________
b. Sushma and Romi play in the ground.
_________________________
c. It rains in the morning during monsoon.
_________________________
d. Harry Potter travels a lot during weekends.
_________________________
e. Harry Potter travels a lot during weekends.
_________________________
e. The mad dog runs onto the road.
_________________________
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Sign up nowComplete the following letter using simple present or present continuous tense.
Sir
I ...................... (write) this letter because it ...................... (seem) to me that far too many changes ...................... (take) place in my country these days, and, as a result, our country is ...................... (lose) its identity. I ...................... (live) in a small town, and even this town ...................... (change) before my eyes. Like, our town authorities ...................... (build) a burger joint in the place where I had my favourite restaurant. I am not too happy about it.
Our culture ...................... (belong) to everybody, and I don’t ...................... (understand) why the town leaders aren’t ...................... (do) anything to preserve it. They simply don’t ...................... (care). In fact, I ...................... (think) of starting an agitation against it. I ...................... (appear) on a TV show on Friday evening to make the people aware of this issue. It’s time for us to start doing something before it ...................... (get) too late.
Yours sincerely
A student
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Sign up nowFill in the blanks using the Simple past tense form of the verb.
a. When I was in Ceylon, I ...................... (visit) the famous Temple at Colombo.
b. The mechanic ...................... (repair) my radio yesterday.
c. Amita ...................... (jump) off the moving train and got hurt.
d. Their guests were so punctual that they ...................... (arrive) exactly at 5 pm.
e. Tripta ...................... (study) for 12 hours everyday before her exams.
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Sign up nowRewrite the Diary Entry using Simple Past Tense form of the given verb.
My Feverish Vacations
My Diwali vacations were just terrible. On Thursday evening I ...................... (have) a terrible body ache and I ...................... (feel) very tired. On Friday, I ...................... (sleep) the whole morning and finally ...................... (wake) up at 12 noon with high fever. My throat ...................... (is) sore, my nose ...................... (run) and I ...................... (cough) a lot. My mother ...................... (take) my temperature and then she ...................... (give) me a tablet. She ...................... (make) some hot soup for me. I also ...................... (drink) some fruit juice. I ...................... (try) to read a book, but ...................... (can) not keep my eyes open. I ...................... (sleep) for hours. In the evening, I ...................... (watch), some TV programmes. Later, I ...................... (fall) asleep in front of the TV, Next Morning, I ...................... (feel) much better.
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Sign up nowComplete the sentences using the past continuous form of the verb given in the bracket.
a. Ravi was ...................... (write) a novel last summer.
b. Oh! I am sorry, I was ...................... (think) that you might be awake.
c. Trisha and Rosie were ...................... (perform) in the auditorium, when the fire broke out.
d. The students were ...................... (study) about a new species yesterday.
e. Hugh fell when he was ...................... (run) to catch the bus.
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Sign up nowComplete the story with the correct form of the words of the verbs In brackets. Use the simple past or the past continuous tense.
Yesterday, a 38 – year – old robber ...................... (walk) into a hotel. He (1) ...................... (wear) black trousers, a shirt and a tie, and he was carrying a black hat. He told the women at the desk that he (2) ...................... (need) a job. The woman asked for the man’s name and address. While she (3) ...................... (Write), the robber pointed a gun at her. The woman at the desk (4) ...................... (open) the cash drawer and (5) ...................... (give) the robber $1,000. The robber quickly (6) ...................... (leave) the hotel. While the robber (7) ...................... (run) out of the door, the hotel worker (8) ...................... (phone) the police. When the police (9) ...................... (arrive), the hotel worker gave them the robber’s name and address. The police (10) ...................... (go) to the house, arrested the robber, and took him to the police station.
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Sign up nowMake meaningful sentences using the suitable form of the verb given in the bracket.
a. Tom ...................... home next week. (goes, is going)
b. We ...................... Manali during our last summer vacation. (visited, are visiting).
c. Anne has bought some cloth. She ...................... a blouse for herself. (is stitching, stitches)
d. Unless we ...................... now, we cannot be on time. (started, start)
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Sign up nowHOTS - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Literature | English | Class 8
How much has Jimmy changed over the years, and what does this story suggest about the way the passage of time affects people?
Jimmy has changed significantly over the twenty years since Bob last saw him. While he used to be a young man unsure of his future, he has matured into a responsible figure of authority over time, becoming a policeman.
The story suggests that the passage of time affects people differently, depending on their life choices and experiences. While Bob became wealthier and more self-assured, he also turned to a life of crime. On the other hand, Jimmy may not have amassed wealth, but he developed the traits of resilience, moral rectitude, and loyalty.
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Can Jimmy and Bob be compared to ‘the hare and the tortoise’? How?
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Sign up nowExtra Questions - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Literature | English | Class 8
What time of the night it was? Why were there such few people?
It was 10 o'clock at night in the story. There were such few people on the street because the chilly gusts of wind with a hint of rain in them had forced people to go indoors. The weather made it uncomfortable for people to be outside, so they hurried to their destinations or stayed inside.
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How did the man in the doorway try to reassure the policeman? What was he doing there?
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Sign up nowCompare and contrast the characters of Bob and Jimmy.
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Unlock now 🔓Quiz - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
Vocabulary - Flashcards - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
About the Author - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter, an American short story writer who lived from 1862 to 1910. He is best known for his clever and witty stories that often had surprise endings, which became known as "O. Henry endings."
"After Twenty Years" is one of O. Henry's most popular stories. It is a short story that tells the tale of two friends, Jimmy and Bob, who made a pact to meet at a specific location after twenty years. The story is full of irony and twists, as it turns out that one of the friends has become a police officer and the other is a criminal.
O. Henry's writing style is marked by his use of wordplay, irony, and clever plot twists. He was able to capture the essence of life in turn-of-the-century America, and his stories often dealt with issues such as social class, crime, and the human condition.
Despite a relatively short career, O. Henry's impact on American literature has been significant, and his stories continue to be read and enjoyed today. His legacy lives on through the O. Henry Award, which is given each year to recognize the best short stories published in the United States.
Summary - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
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Themes - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
Loyalty and Friendship
The story explores the theme of loyalty and friendship through the relationship between Bob and Jimmy. Despite their different paths in life, they have a strong bond forged through their shared experiences. Bob is loyal to Jimmy even though he has become a respectable businessman, and Jimmy is willing to risk everything to see his old friend again. The story shows the power of loyalty and how it can endure even after many years apart.
Regret and Redemption
The story highlights the theme of regret and redemption through the character of Bob. He feels guilty about leaving Jimmy behind when he decides...
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Unlock now 🔓Important Lines - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
“It’s an appointment made twenty years ago. Sounds a little funny to you, doesn’t it? Well, I’ll explain if you’d like to make certain it’s all straight. About that long ago there used to be a restaurant where this store stands-Big Joe Brady’s Restaurant.”
These lines set the tone for the story and introduce the central theme of the meeting between two old friends who made an appointment twenty years earlier. The reader becomes curious about what the appointment was for and what will happen next.
“Twenty years ago tonight,’ said the man,............................
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Unlock now 🔓Plot - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
I. Policeman on Patrol
The chapter begins with a diligent policeman navigating a quiet neighbourhood during the late evening hours. His eyes on a lonely street, he checks....
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Unlock now 🔓Vocabulary - After Twenty Years | Grow with words | Class 8 Literature | English
- Impressive: making a strong impact, awe-inspiring
- Guardian: a person who protects or guards something/someone
- Neighbourhood: an area in a town or city where people live
- Appointment: a meeting ..
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