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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The swamp is full of quagmires. What does this mean it is full of?
(a) Thick stands of evergreen trees.
(b) Dead, floating timber and brush.
(c) Soft, wet ground that gives way underfoot.
(d) Burrows and hollows where animals live.

2. What is one source of trouble in Tom Walker's marriage?
(a) Tom refuses to buy the luxuries his wife feels she deserves.
(b) Tom's wife often disappears into the forest overnight.
(c) Tom is physically abusive toward his wife.
(d) Tom's wife hides resources from him and keeps them for herself.

3. What is Tom's reaction to the idea of being a usurer?
(a) He is strongly opposed but finally agrees.
(b) He agrees but only because he misunderstands the devil's intentions.
(c) He is reluctant but understands that it is an important service to the community.
(d) He is enthusiastic and willing to do even more than the devil asks.

4. What does the narrator say is hard to believe about the conversation between Tom and the devil?
(a) The devil sounds too much like an ordinary person.
(b) Even Tom Walker would not be foolish enough to talk to the devil.
(c) It sounds too familiar.
(d) There is no such thing as the devil.

5. Tom's house is described as forlorn. What kind of house is it?
(a) Overdecorated.
(b) Falling apart.
(c) Sad and lonely.
(d) Tall and imposing.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Tom's first mistake on his last day?

2. What causes Tom to start to worry about the deal he has made with the devil?

3. Tom's wife is described as a termagant--what kind of person does this mean she is?

4. What does Tom see at the base of the tree where the apron hangs?

5. What does the countryman say he saw happen to Tom Walker?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does Tom believe is in the apron, and how does he feel when he sees it?

2. What is the implication of the conversation between the devil and Tom about the ownership of the swamp land?

3. Before Tom and the devil part, how does the devil seal his side of the bargain and what does this allude to?

4. What does Tom believe happened to his wife, and why, and how does he feel about it?

5. Explain how Tom develops into a religious hypocrite.

6. What implicit racism is there in the description of the fort that once stood in the swamp?

7. Describe the setting where Tom meets the devil.

8. What do Tom and the devil negotiate about before striking a bargain, and what is the bargain they strike?

9. What two reasons does the narrator give for Tom's fearlessness in the swamp and upon meeting the devil?

10. How does Tom treat his horses, and what does this illustrate about his character?

(see the answer keys)

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