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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Tom notice about the tallest trees in the swamp?
(a) They are all rotten inside.
(b) They have all been cut down.
(c) They each bear the name of a prominent citizen.
(d) They all have the marks of a recent fire.

2. 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 hoards money so that he can life a lavish lifestyle.
(c) He lives in luxury through cheating and stealing.
(d) He insists on living so cheaply that he does not have the ordinary comforts of life.

3. What word does the narrator use twice to describe the situation of Tom's clients?
(a) Desperate.
(b) Unexpected.
(c) Dubious.
(d) Fortunate.

4. What can a reader infer is one of the devil's conditions in the bargain he makes with Tom?
(a) Tom will bring the devil other people to make bargains with.
(b) Tom will give his soul to the devil.
(c) Tom will not tell anyone where he got the money.
(d) Tom will not get the money until he makes a sacrifice to the devil.

5. Tom agrees to become a usurer. What job is he saying he will do?
(a) He will invest money on behalf of other people.
(b) He will loan money at high interest rates.
(c) He will buy and sell land.
(d) He will become a landlord.

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

7. Why does Tom tell his wife about his meeting with the devil?
(a) He is hoping that his wife will take his place in his bargain with the devil.
(b) The devil said that he would only make the bargain if Tom told his wife.
(c) He and his wife have no secrets from one another.
(d) He is uneasy about the meeting and needs to tell someone what happened.

8. There is a rumor that Tom's wife's hat was found floating on top of what?
(a) A knoll.
(b) A quagmire.
(c) A cenote.
(d) A holt.

9. What do Tom's neighbors do about the constant fighting in the Walker house?
(a) They call the police.
(b) They ignore it.
(c) They stop in to try to find out what is wrong.
(d) They ask Tom about it privately.

10. What does Tom see near the apron, keeping watch over it?
(a) A snake.
(b) An alligator.
(c) A black cat.
(d) A vulture.

11. Who is said to have been present when the treasure was buried?
(a) A whaler.
(b) Geoffery Crayon.
(c) The devil.
(d) Tom Walker.

12. In the version of the story that the narrator says is most likely to be true, what draws Tom's attention to the tree where his wife's apron hangs?
(a) The sound of crows calling.
(b) Her name scratched into the bark of the tree.
(c) The tree is encircled with snakes.
(d) An eerie red light.

13. In the passage about Tom's activities in church, what aspect of his character is being stressed?
(a) Loneliness.
(b) Miserliness.
(c) Hypocrisy.
(d) Selfishness.

14. What is Tom doing at the office on his last day?
(a) Buying the land the swamp sits on.
(b) Accepting an offer to run for governor.
(c) Foreclosing a mortgage.
(d) Selling his business.

15. What causes Tom to start to worry about the deal he has made with the devil?
(a) He gets older and begins to worry about death.
(b) He thinks that he sees the ghost of his wife.
(c) He has a near-miss with a carriage accident.
(d) He hears a traveling preacher speak.

Short Answer Questions

1. What happens to all of Tom's money and property at the end of the story?

2. What is Tom's reaction to the idea of being a usurer?

3. By what name does Tom call the devil?

4. How does Tom seal his bargain with the devil?

5. What significant event happened in Massachusetts in 1727?

(see the answer keys)

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