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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 is true of the tree Tom is sitting on?
(a) It bears Tom's own name.
(b) The devil claims that it fell down on its own.
(c) The devil has lit it on fire.
(d) It bears the name of Absalom Crowninshield.

2. What is unusual about the house that Tom builds with the money he earns?
(a) It contains an alter to the devil.
(b) It is in the middle of the swamp.
(c) It is mostly unfinished and has little furniture.
(d) It is made from rotted timber.

3. When Tom opens the apron, what does he find inside?
(a) Gold coins.
(b) His wife's heart and liver.
(c) A skull.
(d) Valuable silver.

4. What part of the fort remains standing?
(a) An alter to the devil.
(b) Some mounded up earth.
(c) A cellar.
(d) Some partial walls.

5. What is one unusual physical feature of the devil?
(a) He smells of sulfur.
(b) His voice is like a snake's hiss.
(c) He has horns.
(d) He has red eyes.

Short Answer Questions

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

2. What is the third thing that Tom does in an attempt to escape his bargain?

3. What does the narrator compare Tom's clients to?

4. Why does the narrator say that only Tom Walker would have the nerve to stop at the Native stronghold in the sawmp?

5. When the narrator says that Tom has built his house out of ostentation, what does this mean Tom's motive was?

Short Essay Questions

1. What implicit racism is there in the description of the fort that once stood in the swamp?

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

3. What recent events lead to Tom's business being so successful?

4. The devil lists several of his own nicknames for Tom; what pattern can be seen in these names, and what is its significance?

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

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

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

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

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

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

(see the answer keys)

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