On a sunny day, would the air over a piece of land be cooler than the air over a bordering lake?

Yes because the cool air from a near by water source migrates toward the land to take the place of the hot air rising while the air over an area of water would be warmer because it is absorbing solar energy from the sun

Answer is arabian desert

Early in the story when tom finds an indian skull in the woods which he kicks in temper. the devil then makes his appearance and, as tom surveys him, he notices that the devil is neither "negro" nor "indian." in fact, he has a "swarthy" complexion and is "begrimed with soot."