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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 is the second thing that Tom does in an attempt to escape his bargain?

2. Who wrote "The Devil and Tom Walker"?

3. According to the narrator, why does Tom not immediately agree to the devil's bargain?

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

5. In the passage about Tom's activities in church, what aspect of his character is being stressed?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What kind of a person is Tom Walker's wife?

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

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

6. How does Tom ultimately slip up and get captured by the devil?

7. Describe the setting where Tom meets the devil.

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

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

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

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

Investigate the multiple traditional uses of savin trees as a literary symbol. Write an essay in which you explain which uses Irving probably had in mind and which uses are unlikely to be intended as a part of "The Devil and Tom Walker." Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

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.

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