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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. How does the devil say the Natives sacrificed a white man to him?

2. What tradition does Tom say should be revived?

3. What does the countryman say he saw happen to Tom Walker?

4. Why does Tom tell his wife about his meeting with the devil?

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

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Explain how Tom develops into a religious hypocrite.

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

4. What are some of the details of the plants and animals in the swamp, and what do they signify?

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

6. What two reasons does the narrator give for Tom's fearlessness in the swamp and upon meeting the devil?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What function do the frame story and the editorializing by the intrusive narrator serve in this story? Write an essay in which you take a position on one effect that both of these authorial choices support; be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 2

As the story progresses, Tom becomes more like the devil. Write an essay in which you explore the idea that as he does the devil's work on earth, Tom takes on characteristics of the devil. Be sure to offer textual support for your claims.

Essay Topic 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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