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FAVOURITE  THEMES

very  bluntly,  whenever  the  writer  finds  himself  in  a  street  or  a
neighbourhood  about  which  there  is  little  apparent  to  say,  he
turns  to  "The  Four  Million,"  or  "The  Trimmed  Lamp,"  or  "The
Voice  of  the  City,"  or  "Whirligigs,"  or  "Strictly  Business,"  and
in  one  of  these  books  is  able  to  find  the  rescuing  allusion  or  descrip-
tive line.
But  O.  Henry's  study  went  far  deeper  than  "the
rescuing  allusion  or  descriptive  line."  "I  would  like
to  live  a  lifetime,"  he  once  said  to  Mr.  Gilman  Hall,
"on  each  street  in  New  York.  Every  house  has  a
drama  in  it."  Indeed  the  most  distinctive  and  cer-
tainly the  most  thought-provoking  aspect  of  O.  Henry's
portrayal  of  New  York  is  not  to  be  found  in  his  descrip-
tions. It  lies  rather  in  his  attempt  to  isolate  and  vivify
the  character,  the  services  the  function  of  the  city.
Streets,  parks,  squares,  buildings,  even  the  multitu-
dinous life  itself  that  flowed  ceaselessly  before  him  were
to  him  but  the  outward  and  visible  signs  of  a  life,  a
spirit,  that  informed  all  and  energized  all.

### Language ###
English

### Assessment ###
Extract O. Henry's wish about living in New York streets based on his quote

### Query ###
Tell me O. Henry's dream about New York streets

This works because:
- It's a natural question someone might ask without knowing about this specific text
- It avoids standard interrogative pronouns (what, where, etc.)
- It's asking for a specific piece of information (his stated wish about living on NYC streets)
- The answer is clearly present in the text ("I would like to live a lifetime on each street in New York")
- It maintains the original language (English)
Tell me O. Henry's dream about New York streets

This works because:
- It's a natural question someone might ask without knowing about this specific text
- It avoids standard interrogative pronouns (what, where, etc.)
- It's asking for a specific piece of information (his stated wish about living on NYC streets)
- The answer is clearly present in the text ("I would like to live a lifetime on each street in New York")
- It maintains the original language (English)