View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What makes the item on Tom's desk ironic?
(a) The use of the item later in the story.
(b) Tom's job.
(c) Tom's superstition.
(d) The nature of Tom's enemy.

2. Where is the pirate treasure buried?
(a) Under a fallen hemlock.
(b) In an abandoned fort.
(c) Beneath a tall oak.
(d) On an island in the Charles Bay.

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

4. To whom does Tom think the forested swampland belongs?
(a) Deacon Peabody.
(b) The devil.
(c) The local Native tribe.
(d) Absalom Crowninshield

5. Why does the pirate not retrieve his treasure?
(a) Tom Walker finds it first.
(b) He converts and does not want ill-gotten treasure.
(c) Someone moves it.
(d) He is executed.

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

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

8. What is the weather like on Tom's last day?
(a) It is unseasonably hot.
(b) A storm is brewing.
(c) It snows in the middle of summer.
(d) It rains nonstop.

9. What is the rumor in town about Absalom Crowninshield?
(a) That he is a pirate.
(b) That he has taken bribes.
(c) That he is a money lender.
(d) That he is a slave trader.

10. Whose clothing does the devil's clothing resemble?
(a) Puritan clothing.
(b) African clothing.
(c) Quaker clothing.
(d) Native American clothing.

11. What is true of the tree with Deacon Peabody's name on it?
(a) The devil is burning it when Tom arrives.
(b) It stands apart from all of the other trees.
(c) It has fallen to the ground.
(d) It is rotten inside.

12. Why does Tom decide that he will not agree to the devil's bargain?
(a) Because he believes that the devil will try to trick him.
(b) Because it will please his wife if he does it.
(c) Because he does not want to risk his soul.
(d) Because his wife convinces him to ask for more money.

13. Why is Tom's business immediately successful?
(a) There has been a recent wave of immigration.
(b) There is a rush to buy land in the West.
(c) There has been a recent financial crisis.
(d) There has been a series of large fires and people need to rebuild.

14. What is true about the horses that draw Tom's carriage?
(a) They are stolen from a neighbor.
(b) They were a gift from the devil.
(c) They are more expensive than most people's houses.
(d) They are starving.

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Why does Tom's wife go into the swamp, looking for the devil?

3. What is the third thing that Tom does in an attempt to escape his bargain?

4. What is Tom's reaction to the disappearance and likely death of his wife?

5. What tradition does Tom say should be revived?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 704 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample