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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. The swamp is full of quagmires. What does this mean it is full of?
(a) Dead, floating timber and brush.
(b) Burrows and hollows where animals live.
(c) Thick stands of evergreen trees.
(d) Soft, wet ground that gives way underfoot.

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

3. What news does Tom's wife have for him when he returns from the swamp?
(a) Their horse has escaped and they need to replace it.
(b) Absalom Crowninshield has died.
(c) A great treasure has been mysteriously left on their step.
(d) The governor himself has been to visit them.

4. What causes Tom to start to worry about the deal he has made with the devil?
(a) He has a near-miss with a carriage accident.
(b) He gets older and begins to worry about death.
(c) He thinks that he sees the ghost of his wife.
(d) He hears a traveling preacher speak.

5. What does the devil say is one way he currently entertains himself?
(a) By making deals for the souls of Puritans.
(b) By encouraging war between Natives and Europeans.
(c) By tempting anabaptists into sin.
(d) By helping the Puritans persecute other Christians.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Tom treat his most needy clients?

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

3. What is the rumor in town about Absalom Crowninshield?

4. What is true of the tree Tom is sitting on?

5. What is Tom doing at the office on his last day?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Before Tom and the devil part, how does the devil seal his side of the bargain and what does this allude to?

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

4. Explain how Tom develops into a religious hypocrite.

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

6. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp, and why does the narrator describe it as a memento?

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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