The Devil and Tom Walker

Which of the following phrases is an example of Irving's sense of humor?

• "Tom consoled himself for the loss of his property, with the loss of his wife, for he was a man of fortitude."

• "He knows how to play his cards when pretty sure of his game."

• "He insisted that the money found through his means should be employed in his service."

• "You shall extort bonds, foreclose mortgages, drive the merchants to bankruptcy---"

What does Irving use to symbolize hypocrisy and hidden evil?

• The devil's deal with Tom

• Mrs. Walker's heart and liver, wrapped in the checked apron

• The flourishing trees that are rotten to the core

• The Walker's silver teapots and spoons

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What enabled you to predict that the figure that appears to Tom in the forest is the devil?

• He appears when Tom kicks a skull

• He has large red eyes

• He has a hoarse, growling voice

• Tom is instantly frightened

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Tom's wife decides to go into the forest because she---

• wants to escape from Tom's unkindness

• decides to make her own deal with the devil

• gets lost on her way to the market

• wants to pick some herbs and wild mushrooms for their meager meal

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What feeling about the setting does Irving want to arouse?

• fear

• optimism

• anger

• hope

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Which item best contributes to the story's mood?

• "....stepping from tuft to tuft of rushes and roots..."

• "At length he arrived at the firm piece of ground, which ran like a peninsula into the deep bosom of the swamp."

• "The swamp was thickly grown with great gloomy pines and hemlocks...which makes it dark at noonday..."

• "Nothing remained of the old Indian fort but a few embankments, gradually sinking to the level of the surrounding earth."

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The narrator describes the devil’s face as “begrimed with soot, as if he had been accustomed to toil among fires and forges.” Irving most likely chose this imagery because

• he wanted to contrast Tom and the devil.

• people know this is what the devil looks like.

• it increases the dark mood of the scene.

• his readers can identify with a life of toil.

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Tom is so successful at working for the devil because Tom

• is greedier than the devil.

• is the only moneylender in Boston.

• knows a lot about lending money.

• is known for his bargain with the devil.

What does the devil do to Tom at the end of the tale?

• hides Tom's wealth in the woods

• encourages Tom's faith in God

• meets Tom at the church

• carries Tom away on a horse

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What convinces Tom that what the devil has told him in the swamp is true?

• the disappearance of Tom's wife

• the discovery of Kidd's treasure

• Absalom Crowninshield's death

• Tom's growing business