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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 happens to all of Tom's money and property at the end of the story?
(a) Everything changes into ash, bone, and wood shavings.
(b) A mysterious man appears, claiming to be Tom's heir.
(c) The town elders donate it to the church.
(d) Tom's cheated clients divide it among themselves.

2. Tom Walker is described as meager and miserly. What kind of a person is he?
(a) He lives in luxury through cheating and stealing.
(b) He insists on living so cheaply that he does not have the ordinary comforts of life.
(c) He hoards money so that he can life a lavish lifestyle.
(d) He lives in poverty because he gives away most of what he earns.

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

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

5. What does Tom begin keeping on the desk in his office?
(a) A Bible.
(b) A rabbit's foot.
(c) A cross.
(d) A gun.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tom notice about the tallest trees in the swamp?

2. What can a reader infer is one of the devil's conditions in the bargain he makes with Tom?

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

4. What part of the fort remains standing?

5. The swamp is full of quagmires. What does this mean it is full of?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Describe the appearance of the devil in this story.

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

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

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

6. What is the implication of the conversation between the devil and Tom about the ownership of the swamp land?

7. What does Tom's wife do as a result of his refusal to make a deal with the devil, and what is the outcome?

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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