“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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