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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. What mark does the devil leave on Tom?
(a) A black fingerprint.
(b) A claw mark.
(c) A red mark in the shape of an axe.
(d) An upside-down cross.

2. What unusual slang word does the devil use for money?
(a) Poppet.
(b) Bobbin.
(c) Skins.
(d) Rhino.

3. What does the countryman say he saw happen to Tom Walker?
(a) He was pulled down the road by an unseen hand which then drowned him in the swamp.
(b) He burst into flames and then disappeared.
(c) He was flying through the air and dropped into the ocean.
(d) He was carried into the swamp by a horse just as the forest went up in flames.

4. What is Tom's reaction to the disappearance and likely death of his wife?
(a) He is angry.
(b) It cheers him up.
(c) It makes him afraid.
(d) He is in shock.

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does the devil have all over his skin?

2. The narrator says that the timing for Tom's business is propitious. What kind of timing would this be?

3. What news does Tom's wife have for him when he returns from the swamp?

4. In the passage about Tom's activities in church, what aspect of his character is being stressed?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the significance of the devil's comment about Absalom Crowninshield's tree being ready to burn?

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

3. What becomes of Tom Walker and all of his wealth?

4. How does Tom ultimately slip up and get captured by the devil?

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

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

7. What are Tom Walker's first house and property like?

8. Describe the setting where Tom meets the devil.

9. What kind of a person is Tom Walker's wife?

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

(see the answer keys)

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