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

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

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

What feeling about the setting does Irving want to arouse?

• fear

• optimism

• anger

• hope

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."

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.

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

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