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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 the narrator say is hard to believe about the conversation between Tom and the devil?
2. What does the narrator say makes it difficult to know what actually happened to Tom's wife?
3. What does the devil have all over his skin?
4. What significant event happened in Massachusetts in 1727?
5. Why is Tom happy to see the apron?
Short Essay Questions
1. What does Tom's wife do as a result of his refusal to make a deal with the devil, and what is the outcome?
2. What are some of the details of the plants and animals in the swamp, and what do they signify?
3. Who is the guardian of William Kidd's treasure, and why?
4. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp, and why does the narrator describe it as a memento?
5. Before Tom and the devil part, how does the devil seal his side of the bargain and what does this allude to?
6. The devil lists several of his own nicknames for Tom; what pattern can be seen in these names, and what is its significance?
7. How does the narrator add to the credibility of the story by mentioning the various possible fates of Tom's wife?
8. What kind of a person is Tom Walker's wife?
9. Why is the death of Absolom Crowninshield announced as the death of a great man in Israel when he actually died in Massachusetts?
10. What things does the devil say he supervises on earth?
Essay Topics
Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:
Essay Topic 1
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.
Essay Topic 2
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.
Essay Topic 3
Why is it important for Irving to describe Tom Walker's house and horses both before and after Tom makes his bargain with the devil? Write an essay in which you explain the thematic function of these images. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.
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This section contains 957 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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