“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving



“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving

Vocabulary Warm-up Word Lists

Study these words from the selection. Then, complete the activities.

Word List A

consequence [KAHN suh kwents] n. result; effect

As a consequence of your carelessness, we have no more water.

elapsed [ee LAPST] v. passed; went by

Five minutes elapsed before they returned.

indifference [in DIF uhr uhnts] n. not caring; lack of interest

They showed indifference and paid no attention to the screaming fans.

meager [MEE ger] adj. very thin; inadequate

Such a meager salary for this tough job is unfair.

notorious [noh TOR ee us] adj. having a bad reputation; infamous

That government was notorious for corruption and injustice.

prior [PRY er] adj. previous; coming before

Her prior service in the military helped her get the job.

prone [PROHN] adj. inclined (to)

Because he did everything so fast, he was prone to having accidents.

zeal [ZEEL] n. great enthusiasm; passion

The candidate wanted campaign workers with plenty of zeal.

Word List B

contradiction [kahn truh DIK shun] n. something opposite; denial

This evidence is a contradiction of what we thought was true.

disclosed [dis KLOHZD] v. showed; revealed

The witness finally disclosed the fact that he had not been there.

precaution [pree KAW shun] n. care taken in advance

We took every precaution to avoid running out of supplies.

prevalent [PRE vuh lent] adj. widely existing; most common

The prevalent attitude around here is that the mayor is doing a good job.

squeamish [SKWEEM ish] adj. easily nauseated or offended

If you are squeamish, you may want to avoid this graphic documentary.

steadfastly [STED fast lee] adv. with firmness; without changing

The soldier remained at his post steadfastly throughout the night.

strenuous [STREN yoo us] adj. demanding great effort or energy

Before strenuous exercise, be sure to warm up and stretch.

uppermost [UP uhr mohst] adj. highest; first

Protecting ourselves from danger was uppermost in our minds.

“The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving

Vocabulary Warm-up Exercises

Exercise A Fill in the blanks, using each word from Word List A only once.

Even though organized recycling has been around for a number of years, many people

still show nothing but [1] ______________to it. So, in order to inject some renewed

[2] ________________into this important movement, our community has just

held a “Pay Attention to Recycling” campaign. People who had been making only a

[3]__________________ effort to recycle bottles, cans, and paper were bombarded

with ads, fliers, door-to-door visits, and even legal pressure. Businesses that were

[4]___________________ for waste and individuals who were [5]_____________________ to just throwing things away did seem to respond positively.

[6] _____________________to the campaign, the recycling center was seldom busy; after the campaign, it was bustling. As

a [7]_____________________ , before one month had [8]_________________ , our community was a cleaner and more environmentally friendly place.

Exercise B Decide whether each statement is true or false. Circle T or F, and explain your

answer.

1. If two statements agree, one of them is clearly a contradiction.

T / F

2. If winning is uppermost in your mind, you are a fierce competitor.

T / F

3. A nurse who stays at a patient’s side all night does her job steadfastly.

T / F

4. If you have no problem eating squishy, slimy things, you are not squeamish.

T / F

5. Buckling your seatbelt is a precaution that can save your life.

T / F

6. If a sport is too strenuous for you, you play it easily every day.

T / F

7. If, in a mystery novel, a letter disclosed the truth, then the letter kept the truth hidden.

T / F

8. If a disease is prevalent among a group of people, no one has it.

T / F

Salmagundi, or The Whim-Whams and Opinions of

Launcelot Langstaff, was a collection of satires produced

in twenty pamphlets during 1807–08. The writers were

Washington Irving, his brother William, and the novelist

James Kirke Paulding. These young men wrote with great

zeal and enthusiasm under a variety of names, including

Will Wizard and Anthony Evergreen. They took on the

tastes, attitudes, and behavior of New York society. Their

targets ranged from politics to fashion, from the notorious

and celebrated to the merely harmless and obscure.

The pieces in Salmagundi were full of whimsy and satire,

and they were prone to caricature, tending to exaggerate

their portraits. They often created humor by

pretending to have learning that they obviously did not

really possess, claiming “serious truths conveyed in every

paper.” Salmagundi offered sophisticated and genuinely

funny writing in post-colonial America, when elegance

was scarce and the production of really fine humorous

writing was also still quite meager.

The writers of Salmagundi never seemed to articulate

any detailed political or aesthetic principles. As a

consequence, the overall effect of the satires was very

scattered and random. In fact, it was just like a salmagundi—

a mixed salad of chicken, veal, anchovies, onions,

and oil and lemon dressing. Some critics see this attitude

as particularly American—practical, on-the-spot satire,

dealing with whatever came to mind. It was the approach

of a society that was still unsure of itself. It was the

stance of a nation still trying to establish its identity with

such a short time having elapsed since the Revolution.

What Salmagundi did have was vitality. It projected the

high spirit that assumes the worst crime is indifference,

not caring at all. Before this display of extravagant

humor—that is, prior to Salmagundi—Washington Irving

was a young law student, fond of theater and music. After

Salmagundi, he was a writer.

1. Circle the word that means the

same as zeal. Name something

that you do with zeal.

2. Underline the words that help

explain notorious. Name

something for which a person

can be notorious.

3. Circle the words that mean

prone. Use prone in a sentence

of your own.

4. Underline the word that

helps explain meager. Name

something of which you can

have a meager supply.

5. Circle the words that identify

the consequence of not articulating

principles. Describe

one possible consequence of

winning the lottery.

6. Underline the words that tell

what elapsed. How many

hours have elapsed since

your last English class?

7. Circle the words that explain

indifference. Name something

toward which you feel

indifference.

8. Underline the word that

means the same as prior.

Name something you do

prior to having lunch

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