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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. Where does Tom open his business?

2. What does the devil have all over his skin?

3. What tradition does Tom say should be revived?

4. Whom does the narrator seem to blame for the situation of Tom's clients?

5. When Tom opens the apron, what does he find inside?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What is the reaction of the Walkers' neighbors to their fighting?

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

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

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

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

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

9. Describe the setting where Tom meets the devil.

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What does this short story seem to suggest about the religious atmosphere of Puritan New England? Write an essay with a thesis that takes into the consideration both positive and negative aspects of the religious life of the story's characters. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

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

Write an essay in which you explore the casual racism of Irving's short story "The Devil and Daniel Walker." Describe the elements of the story that are racist and explain the irony in this racism, given the stand that Irving takes against the slave trade. Be sure to use quoted textual support for your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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