Name
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“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving
Selection Test A
Critical Reading Identify the letter of the choice that best answers the question.
1. Which answer choice shows that the third-person omniscient point of view is
used in “The Devil and Tom Walker”?
I. The narrator is not a character in the story.
II. Tom’s and his wife’s feelings are both described.
III. Tom argues with the Devil about the buried money.
IV. The narrator comments on the death of Captain Kidd.
A. I, II, III
B. II, III, IV
C. I, III, IV
D. I, II, IV
2. Based on “The Devil and Tom Walker,” what was one belief of the New England
Puritans during this time period?
A. justice for Native Americans
B. witches and demons
C. accepting all religions
D. giving the vote to women
3. In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” how does the writer show that Tom’s wife is
meant to represent many women rather than one specific woman?
A. Her character has no name.
B. She is a strong woman.
C. She is a Puritan.
D. Her character is fearless.
4. In “The Devil and Tom Walker,” why does Tom’s wife go off into the forest with
her best silver?
A. She hopes to sell it and leave Tom.
B. She is taking a gift to a relative.
C. She wants to deal with the Devil.
D. She plans to trade it for food.
5. Based on “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which of the following beliefs did the
Puritans of this time hold?
A. Husbands and wives are considered to be equal.
B. The Devil can take sometimes a human form.
C. You can always tell who is a respected businessman.
D. Those who say loud prayers are the truest worshippers.
Unit 3 Resources: A Growing Nation
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Name
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6. Based on Tom’s behavior in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which of these groups
did Irving likely support?
A. Salem witches
B. slave-traders
C. abolitionists
D. money-lenders
7. What most likely happens to Tom at the end of “The Devil and Tom Walker”?
A. He rides off to escape the anger of people to whom he loaned money.
B. The Devil kidnaps him to get his money and horses.
C. The Devil ends his life and takes him to hell.
D. He takes his riches and retires to another town.
8. Which of these sentences about “The Devil and Tom Walker” reflects the thirdperson omniscient point of view?
A. He saw a dark, coarsely dressed man sitting on a log.
B. Tom hoped to spite his wife and she hoped to outwit him.
C. Tom got rich by lending money to the townspeople.
D. I saw a name written on the bark of the huge tree.
Vocabulary and Grammar
9. In which sentence is the meaning of the word avarice expressed?
A. The Devil carried Tom off forever on his black horse.
B. Tom and his wife were equally greedy for riches.
C. The other worshippers suspected Tom’s false prayers.
D. Tom’s wife went into the woods and did not return.
10. Which of the following sentences uses an adjective clause?
A. “This inlet allowed a facility to bring the money in a boat secretly and at
night . . .”
B. “He was exceedingly surprised, having neither heard nor seen anyone
approach . . .”
C. “Tom had long been picking his way cautiously through this treacherous
forest . . .”
D. “. . . a mighty rich man of that name, who made a vulgar display of
wealth . . .”
Unit 3 Resources: A Growing Nation
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Name
Date
Essay
11. In literature, a one-dimensional character is a person who does not change his or
her basic nature. Do you think Tom and his wife are one-dimensional characters
who always act greedy in “The Devil and Tom Walker”? Why or why not? Write a
brief essay to give your opinion. Support it with at least two examples from the
story.
12. Do you think Tom Walker deserved his fate in “The Devil and Tom Walker,” based on
the kind of person he was and the job he held? Why or why not? Write a brief essay
to explain your point of view. Use at least two examples from the story to support
your opinion.
Unit 3 Resources: A Growing Nation
© Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.
20