| O. Henry was a pen name used by an American writer of short stories. His real name was William Sydney Porter. He was born in North Carolina in 1862. As a young boy he lived an exciting life. He did not go to school for very long, but he managed to teach himself everything he needed to know. When he was about 20 years old, O. Henry went to Texas, where he tried different jobs. He first worked on a newspaper, and then had a job in a bank, when some money went missing from the bank. O. Henry was believed to have stolen it. Because of that, he was sent to prison. During the three years in prison, he learned to write short stories. After he got out of prison, he went to New York and continued writing. He wrote mostly about New York and the life of the poor there. People liked his stories, because simple as the tales were, they would finish with a sudden change at the end, to the reader’s surprise. 1. People enjoyed reading O. Henry’s stories because _______. A. they had surprise endings. B. they were easy to understand. C. they showed his love for the poor. D. they were about New York City. 2. O. Henry went to prison because ________. A. people thought he had stolen money from the newspaper. B. he broke the law by not using his own name. C. he wanted to write stories about prisoners. D. people thought he had taken money that was not his. 3. What do we know about O. Henry before he began writing? A. He was well-educated. B. He was not serious about his work. C. He was devoted to the poor. D. He was very good at learning. 4. Where did O. Henry get most material for his short stories? A. His life inside the prison. B. The newspaper articles he wrote. C. The city and people of New York. D. His exciting early life as a boy. |