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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. To what does the narrator compare the sound of Tom's carriage wheels?
(a) The clinking of coins.
(b) The creaking of the trees in the swamp.
(c) The souls of his clients.
(d) The laughter of the devil.

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

3. What does the devil have all over his skin?
(a) Blood.
(b) Mud.
(c) Soot.
(d) Scales.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp?

2. What is the reason the narrator gives for Tom not fearing the devil?

3. Part of the story is set in a morass. What kind of location is this?

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

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

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

5. What does Tom believe is in the apron, and how does he feel when he sees it?

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

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

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

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

10. What does Tom do with his money and what does it show about his personality?

(see the answer keys)

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