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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 does Tom see at the base of the tree where the apron hangs?
(a) Shovel marks in the dirt.
(b) Evidence that his wife fought with the devil.
(c) One of his wife's shoes.
(d) Axe marks in the bark.

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

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

4. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp?
(a) A piece of gold.
(b) A human skull.
(c) A serpent.
(d) The remains of a sacrifice to the devil.

5. What does the narrator say makes it difficult to know what actually happened to Tom's wife?
(a) She disappeared a long time ago.
(b) There are too many stories told by different historians.
(c) The whole story is likely to be false.
(d) No one but Tom seems to have really noticed her disappearance.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Tom Walker originally go into the swamp?

2. Which city is close to the setting of "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

3. Tom's house is described as forlorn. What kind of house is it?

4. What does Tom begin keeping on the desk in his office?

5. What unusual slang word does the devil use for money?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How does Tom's wife react to his news, and what is his response to her?

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

5. What natural event happens in the area in 1727, and what is its thematic significance?

6. Explain how Tom develops into a religious hypocrite.

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

8. What does Tom believe happened to his wife, and why, and how does he feel about it?

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

10. Who is the guardian of William Kidd's treasure, and why?

(see the answer keys)

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