View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp?

3. What significant event happened in Massachusetts in 1727?

4. Tom agrees to become a usurer. What job is he saying he will do?

5. What is true of the tree with Deacon Peabody's name on it?

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the appearance of the devil in this story.

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

3. What are some of the details of the plants and animals in the swamp, and what do they signify?

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

5. What is the reaction of the Walkers' neighbors to their fighting?

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

7. Describe the setting where Tom meets the devil.

8. What things does the devil say he supervises on earth?

9. Explain how Tom develops into a religious hypocrite.

10. Why is the death of Absolom Crowninshield announced as the death of a great man in Israel when he actually died in Massachusetts?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In their time, Washington Irving stories like "The Devil and Tom Walker" were considered to be a kind of horror story. Write an essay in which you identify the elements of horror in this story and discuss how they do or do not succeed in creating a feeling of dread in a modern audience. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Why is it important for Irving to describe Tom Walker's house and horses both before and after Tom makes his bargain with the devil? Write an essay in which you explain the thematic function of these images. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

What is the implicit point of view about women that this story offers? Consider the descriptions and actions of Tom's wife, the devil's treatment of Tom's wife, and the narrator's comments about women. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 970 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample