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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Tom see at the base of the tree where the apron hangs?

2. By what name does Tom call the devil?

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

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

5. What does the countryman say he saw happen to Tom Walker?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. Describe the setting where Tom meets the devil.

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

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

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

7. How does Tom treat his horses, and what does this illustrate about his character?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What is the function of having Tom's wealth reduced to nothing at the end of the story? Write an essay in which you take a position on the meaning of this choice--be sure to consider the exact ways in which is wealth is destroyed as you develop your claim, and be sure to offer textual support for your ideas.

Essay Topic 2

What is the implicit point of view about women that this story offers? Consider the descriptions and actions of Tom's wife, the devil's treatment of Tom's wife, and the narrator's comments about women. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Washington Irving was devoted to the idea of the creation of a specifically American literature, separate from the European literature of the Old World. Write an essay in which you analyze how "The Devil and Tom Walker" fulfills this purpose.

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