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

2. Why does the narrator say that Tom starts criticizing his neighbors?

3. To whom does Tom think the forested swampland belongs?

4. How does Tom treat his most needy clients?

5. The narrator says that it is possible that Tom's wife was lost in a slough. Where would this mean she was lost?

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

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

5. What is similar about Tom's fancy house and his religious behavior?

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

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

8. What are Tom Walker's first house and property like?

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

10. How does the narrator add to the credibility of the story by mentioning the various possible fates of Tom's wife?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the story's allusion to the legend of El Dorodo support the overall meaning of the story? Explain the allusion, offer an interpretation, and then explain how it supports the story's theme. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 2

Is Tom Walker a static or dynamic character? Write an essay in which you make a claim about whether or not Tom changes and what relationship this has to the theme of Irving's short story. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay in which you analyze the symbol of the Bible buried beneath the stack of mortgage papers; be sure to consider more than just this one moment in the story and think of how it speaks to something larger than just Tom's behavior. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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