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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Where did the firefighters go as the fire spread toward them in Fish Creek?
(a) They backed up to the fire station.
(b) They backed up to the water's edge.
(c) They backed up to the sidehill trail.
(d) They backed up to the foot of the mountain.

2. Why are parachutes made of nylon instead of silk?
(a) So they are not as expensive to replace.
(b) So they are not eaten by grasshoppers.
(c) So they float to the ground smoother.
(d) So they are washable.

3. Who were the only permanent residents of the town near the author's cabin?
(a) Farmers.
(b) Sheep herders.
(c) Loggers.
(d) Firefighters.

4. Where was the author when he was startled to see a terribly burned deer?
(a) Standing at the base of the mountain.
(b) Sitting on Mrs. Brown's porch.
(c) Fighting the fire at Fish Creek.
(d) Standing at Willow Creek.

5. Who did Jansson, Sallee, and Roos find alive on the other side of the ridge from the other survivors?
(a) Sylvia.
(b) Thol.
(c) Daily.
(d) Hellman.

Short Answer Questions

1. What important accomplishment did Louis-Sebastien Lenormand achieve in 1783?

2. What did Harry Gisborne witness in 1929?

3. What did the author do during the Mann Gulch fire when he remembered his experience at the Fish Creek fire?

4. Where did the fire starters light the forest fire in Fish Creek?

5. Where did Gisborne die?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are the roles of the foreman and the second-in-command in a jump team of firefighters? What is each man responsible for during the approach to the fire?

2. Where was the big fire the author had fought when he was in the Forest Service? How did the people living in the area support themselves and their families?

3. What is the Story of the Three Winds?

4. How did the firefighters at the Forest Service think the fire would spread? Why did they think the fire starters had the same idea?

5. How do firefighters routinely contain small forest fires?

6. Where was the author when the fire spread to the side hill trail, the firefighters' second line of defense? What important decision did he make right as he saw the fire jump from one side of the trail to the other?

7. What is a crown fire? How does it become ignited? What does it sound like in the forest? What elements are necessary to create a crown fire?

8. Who was Harry T. Gisborne? What was his contribution to the history of firefighting, and understanding the Mann Gulch fire in particular?

9. What did the author learn about the Mann Gulch fire smokejumpers? How did this affect him? Why was the author so interested in the news of the Mann Gulch fire?

10. What did the author know about hiking boots? Why were they important? What kind of boots was he wearing the day of the Fish Creek fire? Why?

(see the answer keys)

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