Refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of the story.
which statement best explains how o. henry's use of third-person narration in "after twenty years" affects the story?
it lets o. henry spend less time describing the setting.
it allows o. henry to create dialogue for multiple characters.
it forces o. henry to begin the story with action rather than with a character's internal thoughts.
it gives o. henry a way to keep key information about both main characters hidden until the end.

The correct answer is D. It gives O. Henry a way to keep key information about both main characters hidden until the end.

Thanks to the 3rd-person narration, we meet the three characters one by one, and get to discover the information about them gradually. We listen to their dialogues and see what is happening, but have no additional information to help us understand who they are and what are their life stories. Only the very last sentence discovers it all.

According to Mark Twain, "standards" are the lasting ideas people have, whereas "fashions" are just temporary trends or beliefs that change across the years.

As an example of "standards," Twain cites Shakespeare because, for centuries, his pieces have been adopted and recreated by people worldwide.

As an example of "fashions," Twain considers the different styles of music, writing, and technology being the latter the most changing with the passing of time.