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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What tone does the narrator adopt when saying that Tom is a friend to his clients?
(a) Sarcastic.
(b) Sorrowful.
(c) Condescending.
(d) Nostalgic.

2. Why does Tom tell his wife about his meeting with the devil?
(a) He is hoping that his wife will take his place in his bargain with the devil.
(b) He and his wife have no secrets from one another.
(c) The devil said that he would only make the bargain if Tom told his wife.
(d) He is uneasy about the meeting and needs to tell someone what happened.

3. Why does the narrator say that Tom starts criticizing his neighbors?
(a) Tom thinks that it makes him seem like a better person.
(b) His panic is making him more and more angry.
(c) They try to point out to him that he is selfish.
(d) They begin asking him for money.

4. Who wrote "The Devil and Tom Walker"?
(a) Washington Irving.
(b) Nathaniel Hawthorne.
(c) Geoffery Crayon.
(d) Stephen Vincent Benét

5. To whom does Tom think the forested swampland belongs?
(a) The local Native tribe.
(b) Absalom Crowninshield
(c) The devil.
(d) Deacon Peabody.

6. What does the devil say is one way he currently entertains himself?
(a) By tempting anabaptists into sin.
(b) By encouraging war between Natives and Europeans.
(c) By helping the Puritans persecute other Christians.
(d) By making deals for the souls of Puritans.

7. What does Tom find in the mud of the swamp?
(a) A serpent.
(b) A piece of gold.
(c) The remains of a sacrifice to the devil.
(d) A human skull.

8. What mark does the devil leave on Tom?
(a) A red mark in the shape of an axe.
(b) A black fingerprint.
(c) An upside-down cross.
(d) A claw mark.

9. What happens to all of Tom's money and property at the end of the story?
(a) Everything changes into ash, bone, and wood shavings.
(b) A mysterious man appears, claiming to be Tom's heir.
(c) Tom's cheated clients divide it among themselves.
(d) The town elders donate it to the church.

10. What does Tom refuse to do with the money?
(a) Run for office.
(b) Become a slave trader.
(c) Open a church.
(d) Purchase a commission in the military.

11. To what does the narrator metaphorically compare the financial speculation of Governor Belcher's time?
(a) An illness.
(b) A plague of locusts.
(c) A doomed ship voyage.
(d) A bubble.

12. What unusual slang word does the devil use for money?
(a) Rhino.
(b) Skins.
(c) Poppet.
(d) Bobbin.

13. Tom's house is described as forlorn. What kind of house is it?
(a) Falling apart.
(b) Overdecorated.
(c) Sad and lonely.
(d) Tall and imposing.

14. What is financial speculation?
(a) Buying something with the hope that it will rapidly increase in value.
(b) A group of expert opinions about the economy.
(c) A joking term for illegal gambling.
(d) Illegal investing by people with inside information.

15. What causes Tom to start to worry about the deal he has made with the devil?
(a) He hears a traveling preacher speak.
(b) He gets older and begins to worry about death.
(c) He thinks that he sees the ghost of his wife.
(d) He has a near-miss with a carriage accident.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is Tom's first mistake on his last day?

2. What does the narrator say makes it difficult to know what actually happened to Tom's wife?

3. What is true of the tree with Deacon Peabody's name on it?

4. Which of the following does the devil say is the name he goes by in their area?

5. What is true about the horses that draw Tom's carriage?

(see the answer keys)

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