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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 significant event happened in Massachusetts in 1727?
2. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp?
3. What part of the fort remains standing?
4. Why does the devil stay away from Tom for a while after Tom's wife disappears?
5. On what land feature did the old Native stronghold stand?
Short Essay Questions
1. What are Tom Walker's first house and property like?
2. What does Tom believe is in the apron, and how does he feel when he sees it?
3. What two reasons does the narrator give for Tom's fearlessness in the swamp and upon meeting the devil?
4. What are some of the details of the plants and animals in the swamp, and what do they signify?
5. What is the significance of the devil's comment about Absalom Crowninshield's tree being ready to burn?
6. What implicit racism is there in the description of the fort that once stood in the swamp?
7. How does Tom ultimately slip up and get captured by the devil?
8. What does Tom's wife do as a result of his refusal to make a deal with the devil, and what is the outcome?
9. What natural event happens in the area in 1727, and what is its thematic significance?
10. How does Tom treat his horses, and what does this illustrate about his character?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
Throughout the story, Irving mentions a large number of professions. Write an essay in which you explain the pattern behind Irving's treatment of these professions. Which seem to be most openly condemned, which seem to be criticized by implication, and which seem to escape criticism entirely--if any? Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.
Essay Topic 2
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.
Essay Topic 3
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.
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This section contains 963 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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