Dear students, here we posted Jimmy Valentine Question Answer. If you are a Class 11 2nd Semester student, this will help you a lot. We presented here 2 & 6 marks all Important Question Answers from the prose Jimmy Valentine by O. Henry.
Semester â II (Prose)
Jimmy Valentine
O. Henry
Jimmy Valentine Question Answer | Class 11 | Semester 2
2 Marks Question Answers from Jimmy Valentine
1. Who is the writer of the short story âJimmy Valentineâ? What is his original name?
Ans. O. Henry is the writer of the short story âJimmy Valentineâ.
⤠His original name is William Sydney Porter.
2. What is the original title of the story âJimmy Valentineâ?
Ans. The original title of the story âJimmy Valentineâ is âA Retrieved Reformation.â
3. Why was Jimmy Valentine put into jail?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine was put into jail because he had cracked the safe of a bank at Springfield, for which he was arrested and sentenced to prison.
4. How long was Jimmy Valentine there in prison? What was his original term of imprisonment?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine actually spent ten months in prison, although his original term of imprisonment was four years.
5. Where did Jimmy Valentine work during the ten months of his imprisonment? What work did Jimmy perform there?
Ans. During his ten months in prison, Jimmy Valentine worked in the prison shoe-shop.
⤠There he stitched and repaired shoes, as part of his daily prison work.
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6. What did the warden advise Jimmy?
Ans. The warden advised Jimmy to live an honest life after his release. He warned him to give up his safe-breaking habits and use his skills in a lawful way instead of returning to crime.
7. What was the name of the guard in the prison? Why did a guard come to the prison shoe-shop?
Ans. The name of the guard was Cronin.
⤠He came to the prison shoe-shop to call Jimmy Valentine because the warden wanted to see him for his release formalities.
8. What did the clerk at the prison give Jimmy Valentine? Why?
Ans. The clerk at the prison gave Jimmy Valentine a railroad ticket and five dollars.
⤠The clerk gave them to Jimmy because these were the standard provisions given to released prisoners to help them travel and manage basic expenses after leaving the prison.
9. What was the number of Jimmy Valentine during his stay in prison? Who is the investigator in the story âJimmy Valentineâ?
Ans. Jimmy Valentineâs prison number was 9762.
⤠The investigator in the story was Ben Price.
10. How did Nature look when Jimmy was released and came out of the jail?
Ans. When Jimmy was released and stepped out of the jail, Nature looked beautiful. The sun was shining warmly, the birds were singing, and the fresh air made the outside world seem lively and welcoming, in contrast to the dull prison atmosphere.
11. What did Jimmy Valentine do first after coming out of the jail?
Or, How did Jimmy enjoy the freedom immediately after being released from jail? [Textbook Question]
Ans. After coming out of the jail, Jimmy first went to a restaurant where he enjoyed broiled chicken with white wine and smoked a good-quality cigar.
12. How long did it take Jimmy to reach the small town where he used to live? How much did he give to a blind nouaman before boarding his train?
Ans. It took Jimmy three hours to reach the small town where he used to live.
⤠He gave one quarter of a dollar (i.e., 25 cents) to a blind nouaman before boarding his train.
13. Whom did Jimmy Valentine meet first after his release from jail?
Ans. After being released from jail, Jimmy Valentine first visited Mike Dolan at his cafe.
14. Where had Jimmy put his suitcase?
Ans. Jimmy had put his suitcase in the hollow of a wall in a back room on the upper floor of Mike Dolanâs cafe.
15. What did Jimmyâs suitcase contain? [Textbook Question]
Ans. Jimmyâs suitcase contained all his burglary tools, including the latest designs of drills, punches, braces and bits, jimmies, clamps, and augers, along with two or three ingenious tools invented by Jimmy himself.
16. âSorry we couldnât make it sooner, Jimmy âĻ â â Why was the speaker sorry?
Ans. Mike Dolan was sorry that he and his companions could not have arranged for Jimmyâs earlier release from jail.
17. What happened a week after the release of Jimmy? At which places were safes cracked after the release of âĻ Jimmy?
Ans. A week after Jimmyâs release, a neat safe burglary was committed in Richmond, Indiana.
⤠After the release of Jimmy, safes were cracked in Richmond, Indiana; Logansport; and Jefferson City.
18. What was the result of the investigation conducted by Ben Price at the three places of robbery?
Ans. The result of the investigation was Ben Price recognized the distinctive, neat, and highly professional method used to crack the safes, concluding that the work had Jimmy Valentineâs signature all over it.
19. âThatâs Dandy Jim Valentineâs autograph.â â Who makes the comment? What does the word âautographâ mean?
Ans. The comment is made by Detective Ben Price.
⤠In this specific context, the word âautographâ means a unique, recognizable professional signature or trademark. Ben Price used it to describe the distinctive, clean, and highly skilled method Jimmy Valentine used on the cracked safes.
20. âHeâs resumed business.â-Who makes this remark about whom? What is the business referred to here?
Ans. The remark is made by Detective Ben Price about the released convict, Jimmy Valentine.
⤠The âbusinessâ referred to here is safe-cracking or safe-burglary, which is the criminal occupation Jimmy Valentine returns to after his release from prison.
21. âBen Price had taken up the trail of the elusive cracksmanâĻâ-Who was the elusive cracksman? Why had Ben Price taken up his trail?
Ans. The elusive cracksman was Jimmy Valentine.
⤠Ben Price had taken up his trail because Jimmy had immediately resumed his criminal career (safe-cracking) by committing a series of high-profile burglaries in cities like Richmond, Logansport, and Jefferson City, making him a highly wanted criminal again.
22. How does Ben Price realise that Jimmy Valentine is the mastermind behind the recent burglaries? [HS Model Question 2024, WBCHSE]
Ans. Ans. Ben Price realized Jimmy was the mastermind by recognizing his âautographââthe unique, clean, and highly professional style used to crack all three safes. He knew from personal experience and the distinct methods that only Jimmy Valentine possessed the specialized skill and tools to perform the burglaries so flawlessly.
23. What did Ben Price promise when he was certain that the three cases of safe-cracking were committed by Jimmy Valentine?
Ans. When Ben Price was certain of Jimmyâs guilt, he promised to re-capture Jimmy Valentine. He declared he would immediately take up the trail of the elusive cracksman to ensure Jimmy served his full sentence this time without the possibility of an early release.
24. Where did Jimmy Valentine go after committing three safe burglaries? In which hotel did Jimmy engage a room?
Ans. After committing the three safe burglaries, Jimmy Valentine traveled to Elmore, a small town in Arkansas.
⤠He engaged a room at the Plantersâ Hotel under the name Ralph D. Spencer.
25. Where did Jimmy first meet Miss Annabel Adams? How did the young lady react when her eyes met with those of Jimmyâs?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine first met Miss Annabel Adams on the street in Elmore, Arkansas, while he was walking from the Plantersâ Hotel to the post office.
⤠When their eyes met, Annabel blushed slightly and smiled, showing a gentle and pleasant reaction that immediately attracted Jimmy.
26. With which name did Jimmy register himself in the Plantersâ Hotel? What did Jimmy tell the clerk at the a counter of the hotel?
Ans. Jimmy registered himself in the Plantersâ Hotel with the name Ralph D. Spencer.
⤠Jimmy told the clerk that he was a businessman looking for a location to open a shoe store in Elmore. He inquired about the current status of the shoe business in the town.
27. What information did Ralph D. Spencer collect from the clerk at the Plantersâ Hotel?
Ans. Ralph D. Spencer asked the hotel clerk about the townâs businesses and learned that Elmore had no shoe-store of its own. This information helped him confirm that opening a shoe-business there would be profitable and supported his plan to begin a new, honest life.
28. Who was Annabel Adams? Where did she enter?
Ans. Annabel Adams was the daughter of Mr. Adams, the owner of the Elmore Bank.
⤠She entered the bank parlor, through a door over which a sign saying âThe Elmore Bankâ was hung.
29. What is a phoenix ? What is compared to the rebirth of a phoenix?
Ans. A phoenix is a mythical bird that burns itself and then rises again from its own ashes, renewed and reborn.
⤠In the story, Jimmy Valentineâs transformation into Ralph D. Spencer, a good and honest man is compared to the rebirth of a phoenix, symbolizing his new life after leaving his criminal past behind.
30. âAnd he accomplished the wish of his heart.â â Who was he and what was the wish of his heart?
Ans. âHeâ was Jimmy Valentine, who was living honestly as Ralph D. Spencer in Elmore.
⤠The wish of his heart was to give up his life of crime forever, settle down as an honest citizen, open his shoe business, and marry Miss Annabel Adams.
31. Whom did Jimmy write a letter to ? How did Jimmy refer to Annabel in his letter?
Ans. Jimmy wrote a letter to his old friend and partner, Billy.
⤠In the letter, Jimmy referred to Annabel as âthe finest girl on earthâ, showing how deeply he admired and loved her.
32. Where did Jimmy propose to settle after his marriage with Annabel? What kind of life did Jimmy want to live after his marriage with Annabel?
Ans. Jimmy proposed to settle in the West after his marriage with Annabel.
⤠He wished to live an honest, simple, and decent life, giving up his criminal past completely and starting a new life as a respectable man.
33. Who was Ben Price? Why did he go to Elmore?
Ans. Ben Price was a famous and skilled detective from the governmentâs police force, and he was known for being the only person who had ever caught Jimmy Valentine.
⤠He went to Elmore to investigate a series of recent safe-cracking crimes, suspecting that the legendary safe-breaker Jimmy Valentine might be hiding there under a new identity.
34. âHe was going to Little Rock that day.â â Why was Jimmy going to Little Rock that day?
Ans. Jimmy Valentine was going to Little Rock for two purposes: to mail his complete set of safecracking tools to an old pal, which was his final act of quitting his criminal life; and to order his wedding-suit and buy a gift for Annabel in preparation for their marriage.
35. âAfter breakfast quite a family party went downtown together.â â Who were there in the family party?
Ans. The family party that went downtown included Mr. Adams, Miss Annabel, Jimmy (alias Ralph D. Spencer), Annabelâs married sister and her two daughters, May and Agatha.
36. What were the special features of the new vault in Mr. Adamsâ bank? How did Jimmy react when Mr. Adams explained the working of the new vault?
Ans. The new vault in Mr. Adamsâ bank was a modern, complicated, burglar-proof piece of machinery featuring a patented door secured by a combination lock that controlled three heavy steel bolts.
⤠When Mr. Adams explained how it worked, Jimmy listened calmly but with keen interest. His reaction showed hidden intelligence and curiosity, though he pretended to be an ordinary man.
37. âSuddenly there was a scream or two from the women.â â Why did the women scream suddenly?
Ans. The women screamed because little Agatha was accidentally locked inside the bank vault while playing. Their scream expressed fear and panic, as they thought her life was in danger.
38. How was Agatha trapped in the vault? Why could the door of the vault not be opened?
Ans. Agatha was trapped in the vault because her older sister, May, accidentally shut her inside the complicated mechanism in a spirit of play by sliding the heavy bolt and turning the combination knob.
⤠The door of the vault could not be opened because the vault was a newly installed, burglar-proof structure whose combination lock had not yet been set by the bank experts. As no one knew the working code or how to operate the intricate mechanism, the heavy steel bolts could not be released.
39. How old was Agatha who got trapped inside the vault? Why did Mr. Adams look upset as Agatha accidentally got locked inside the vault?
Ans. Agatha, the little girl who got trapped inside the vault, was five years old.
⤠Mr. Adams looked intensely upset because the vault was a new, burglar-proof structure whose intricate combination lock had not yet been set or registered. This meant that the door could not be opened, and his young granddaughter was trapped inside a dark, air-tight compartment with no immediate possibility of rescue.
40. What was the reaction of Agathaâs mother when no one could help in rescuing the little girl from the vault?
Ans. Agathaâs mother became terrified and helpless, as her child was locked inside with no way to open the vault immediately. She screamed, wailed, and beat the door of the vault wildly with her hands, showing her desperate panic.
41. How did jimmy rescued Agatha?
Ans. Jimmy rescued Agatha by making the sacrificial choice to reveal his true identity and skills. He asked Annabel for the rose she was wearing and kissed her goodbye, knowing that this act would expose him and end his honest life. He then quickly opened his suitcase and took out his specialized safecracking tools . Using his exceptional skill, he worked on the intricate vault door for about ten minutes and successfully forced the bolts back, freeing the trapped girl without damaging the lock.
42. âAt the door a big man stood somewhat in his way. â â Who was that big man? In whose way did he stand?
Ans. The âbig manâ standing in the doorway was Ben Price, the famous detective who had been tracking Jimmy Valentine since his release from prison.
⤠He stood in the way of Jimmy Valentine, who had just finished rescuing Agatha and was preparing to flee the scene before his true identity was fully exposed.
43. âI donât know that it makes much difference, now,â â Why did Jimmy think so?
Ans. Jimmy realized that his real identity as the professional safecracker had been disclosed and he was sure that Annabel would no longer love him. Since he had already lost his honest life and his future with her, being free or imprisoned ultimately made no difference to him.
44. Why did Ben Price decide not to arrest Jimmy Valentine ?
Ans. Ben Price decided not to arrest Jimmy Valentine because he witnessed the ultimate proof of Jimmyâs genuine reformation when he sacrificed his honest life and freedom to save the trapped child, thus proving he was no longer a criminal.
45. What is the main theme of the story âJimmy Valentineâ?
Ans. The main theme of the story is reformation and redemption. The story shows that Jimmy Valentineâs deep love for Annabel Adams was the catalyst that compelled him to abandon his successful criminal life and become an honest man. This reformation was fully proven when he sacrificed his new life and freedom to save the trapped child, Agatha, demonstrating that his change in character was complete and permanent.
46. How did Jimmy ultimately redeem himself?
Ans. Jimmy ultimately redeemed himself by saving Agatha, a child trapped inside the bank vault.
He risked revealing his identity and freedom by using his safe-opening skills to open the vault not to steal, but to save a life. This selfless and brave act proved his true transformation from criminal to honest man and brought him redemption.
47. What message does the story âJimmy Valentineâ convey?
Ans. The story conveys the message that a person can truly change and reform themselves, no matter how dark their past is. It shows that love and selfless action have the power to transform a criminal into an honest human being, proving that real character is shaped by present choices, not past mistakes.
Jimmy Valentine Question Answer 6 Marks
1. Describe the contents of Jimmyâs suitcase. Why did he sighed fondly at them? [2+4]
Ans. Jimmyâs suitcase contained all his burglary tools, including the latest designs of drills, punches, braces and bits, jimmies, clamps, and augers, along with two or three ingenious tools invented by Jimmy himself.
⤠He sighed fondly at these instruments with the greatest affection, for they were renowned as the most perfect set of burglary tools in the East. Two or three of them were Jimmyâs own inventions, and he was proud of them. They helped him to carry on his profession of breaking a chest successfully and skillfully. Besides, he had spent more than nine hundred dollars in acquiring the set, and his professional success depended largely on the use of these expensive instruments.
2. Who was Ben Price? How did he conclude that Jimmy had resumed burgling? What did he decide next? 1+3+2
Ans. Ben Price was a famous and highly competent government detective who had previously captured Jimmy Valentine.
⤠Price concluded that Jimmy had resumed burgling after a string of safe-breakings occurred in the Midwest, specifically noting the jobs in Richmond, Indiana, and Jefferson City. He recognized the unique signature style belonging only to Jimmy Valentine because the thefts were executed with remarkable cleanliness, speed, and specialized knowledge.
⤠Based on this evidence, Ben Price decided to follow the clear trail left by Jimmy to Elmore, Arkansas, where he intended to arrest him and return him to prison.
3. âThatâs Dandy Jim Valentineâs autograph.â â Who made this comment? What was the occasion? What does the speaker mean to convey through this remark? 1+2+3
Ans. The comment, âThatâs Dandy Jim Valentineâs autograph,â was made by Ben Price, the famous government detective.
⤠The occasion was the examination of a safecracked bank safe in Jefferson City, where the break-in was performed with such extreme precision and specialized skill that local officers were mystified.
⤠Through this remark, Ben Price meant to convey that the job was an unmistakable signature of Jimmy Valentineâs unique professionalism and efficiency . The remark served as an acknowledgment that Jimmy was back to his old criminal trade and that Priceâs long, careful hunt for the notorious safecracker was justified.
4. Who was Miss Annabel Adams? How did Jimmy come to know about the lady? What impression did Miss Adams have on Jimmy? 1+2+3
Ans. Miss Annabel Adams was the daughter of the bank proprietor, Mr. Adams, and was one of the prettiest young women in Elmore, Arkansas.
⤠Jimmy came to know about the lady when he first saw her outside the Elmore Bank. His main source of information was the little boy who was wandering around the bank steps. Jimmy gave the boy a few dimes and learned that the beautiful young woman was the bank ownerâs daughter.
⤠When he saw her on the street, he fell in love instantly and genuinely. This initial sight had a profound impression on Jimmy, serving as the catalyst for his complete moral reformation; she became the sole motivation for him to abandon his successful criminal career, give up his tools, and establish a new, honest identity as Ralph D. Spencer to win her heart and build a legitimate future.
5. What did Jimmy write to his old friend in St. Louis? Why did he write so? [4+2]
Or, What did Jimmy write in his letter to his old friend? What made him write the letter? [4+2]
Ans. Jimmy wrote a letter to his old friend in St. Louis telling him that he had become a successful shoe-business owner in Elmore. In the letter, he informed his friend that within two weeks, he was going to marry the finest girl in the world. He vowed not to do any crooked thing anymore. He had started a new life. So, he desired to hand over all his safe-breaking instruments to him. He, therefore, asked his friend to meet him in Sullyâs place on Wednesday night.
⤠He wrote the letter because he wanted his friend to know about his new life and future plans. He now wanted to lead an honest life. This letter projects Jimmyâs reformation.
6. Briefly narrate in your own words the conversation between Jimmy and the Warden inside the jail? Did Jimmy follow the advice of the Warden? [3+3] [Textbook Question]
Ans. Inside the jail, the Warden spoke kindly but firmly to Jimmy. He advised him to give up crime, warning that safe-breaking and burglary could destroy his life. He told Jimmy that he was intelligent and skilled, so instead of misusing his talents, he should use his abilities honestly in society. The Warden also encouraged him to start fresh after release and live respectfully like a lawful citizen.
⤠Jimmy did not follow the Wardenâs advice immediately after his release and committed a few more safe-cracking incidents, but everything changed when he saw Annabel Adams and fell into genuine love, which awakened his conscience. He then abandoned crime, started a shoe business in Elmore, and became a respected and successful businessman. His decision to open the bank vault to save a child instead of stealing proves his true and permanent reformation.
7. Who was Ben Price? Why did he ignore to recognise Jimmy at the end of the story? [1+5] [Textbook Question]
Ans. Ben Price was a famous and highly competent government detective who had previously captured Jimmy Valentine.
⤠After Jimmyâs release from Springfield Prison, Ben Price followed him to Elmore, suspecting his involvement in recent similar safe-cracking incidents. At the end of the story, however, Ben Price ignored recognizing Jimmy because he watched Jimmy willingly sacrifice his new, honest life (as Ralph D. Spencer) to save the trapped child, Agatha. Ben Price understood that Jimmy was no longer misusing his talent for crime, and by choosing silence, he indirectly allowed Jimmy the dignity of a fresh lawful future, showing that he believed in true reformation more than punishment.
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