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

How does O. Henry craft "After Twenty Years" to create surprise?

A. He conceals information about Jimmy until the end of the story.

B. He presents information about both characters that is untrue.

C. He focuses on the arresting police officer in order to distract leaders.

D. He creates parallel plots to connect events in an unlikely way.

A. He conceals information about Jimmy until the end of the story.

Explanation:

O. Henry crafts "After Twenty Years" to create surprise he conceals information about Jimmy until the end of the story. In the first part of the story, a policeman is making sure everything is right in the neighborhood. He runs into a man who is waiting for a friend with whom he was supposed to meet after twenty years. Bob is a well-to-do man who made money in the West. He is waiting for Jimmy. After the policeman leaves Bob is arrested by another man that is supposed to be Jimmy. Only by the end of the story, we learn that Jimmy was the first policeman.

In the Novel "After Twenty Years" from O. Henry, the author creates surprise by keeping the identity of Jimmy Wells a mistery until almost the end of the short story.

So the right answer is:

A. He conceals information about Jimmy until the end of the story.