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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does the narrator say that Tom starts criticizing his neighbors?
(a) They begin asking him for money.
(b) His panic is making him more and more angry.
(c) They try to point out to him that he is selfish.
(d) Tom thinks that it makes him seem like a better person.

2. What is the reason the narrator gives for Tom not fearing the devil?
(a) Tom does not believe in the devil.
(b) Nothing scares Tom after having to deal with his wife.
(c) After fighting in several battles with Natives, Tom is too hardened to be afraid.
(d) Tom thinks that he can outsmart the devil.

3. Why does the narrator say that only Tom Walker would have the nerve to stop at the Native stronghold in the sawmp?
(a) The area is overrun with snakes and alligators.
(b) There is a rumor that the Natives worshiped the devil there.
(c) Other townspeople have seen the devil there.
(d) The area is still frequented by a hostile Native tribe.

4. Part of the story is set in a morass. What kind of location is this?
(a) A flat area where a river enters the sea.
(b) A mountaintop.
(c) A muddy or boggy area.
(d) An overgrown field.

5. What does the narrator say that savin trees symbolize?
(a) Sterility.
(b) Hypocrisy.
(c) Greed.
(d) Anger.

6. Which city is close to the setting of "The Devil and Tom Walker"?
(a) Boston.
(b) Salem.
(c) New York.
(d) Washington.

7. What is the first thing that Tom does in an attempt to escape his bargain with the devil?
(a) He becomes an eager church-goer.
(b) He offers the devil a different soul in place of his own.
(c) He moves to another town.
(d) He tries unsuccessfully to sell his business.

8. Tom Walker is described as meager and miserly. What kind of a person is he?
(a) He lives in poverty because he gives away most of what he earns.
(b) He insists on living so cheaply that he does not have the ordinary comforts of life.
(c) He lives in luxury through cheating and stealing.
(d) He hoards money so that he can life a lavish lifestyle.

9. What is the third thing that Tom does in an attempt to escape his bargain?
(a) Converts to an anabaptist sect.
(b) Burns his house to the ground.
(c) Has his horse buried upside down.
(d) Changes his name.

10. What significant event happened in Massachusetts in 1727?
(a) A hurricane.
(b) A flood.
(c) An earthquake.
(d) A fire.

11. How does Tom seal his bargain with the devil?
(a) By cutting his thumb with the devil's knife.
(b) By signing a document.
(c) With a handshake.
(d) With a burnt offering.

12. What happens to all of Tom's money and property at the end of the story?
(a) Everything changes into ash, bone, and wood shavings.
(b) The town elders donate it to the church.
(c) Tom's cheated clients divide it among themselves.
(d) A mysterious man appears, claiming to be Tom's heir.

13. Whom does the narrator seem to blame for the situation of Tom's clients?
(a) The clients and Tom.
(b) The devil and the government.
(c) Tom and the devil.
(d) The government and the clients.

14. Why does Tom Walker originally go into the swamp?
(a) He is trying to take a shortcut home.
(b) He has heard a rumor about the pirate treasure.
(c) He is lost.
(d) He is looking for his wife.

15. The narrator says that the timing for Tom's business is propitious. What kind of timing would this be?
(a) Favorable.
(b) In advance of need.
(c) Too late to make a difference.
(d) Unlucky.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the narrator compare Tom's clients to?

2. How does Tom treat his most needy clients?

3. Why does it take Tom a long time to get through the swamp?

4. What is true of the tree Tom is sitting on?

5. What can a reader infer is one of the devil's conditions in the bargain he makes with Tom?

(see the answer keys)

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