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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What happened to the young man seen running from the Kelly Street apartment?
(a) He was burned over 70 percent of his body.
(b) He fled and never went to the hospital.
(c) He was pronouced DOA at the hospital.
(d) He made a full recovery.

2. Which Irish writer did Smith discuss in his letter to the editor?
(a) Oscar Wilde.
(b) William Butler Yeats.
(c) Samuel Beckett.
(d) James Joyce.

3. In what town did Smith live while working in the South Bronx?
(a) Washingtonville.
(b) Flushing.
(c) New Paltz.
(d) Scarsdale.

4. Who did the firefighters encounter while bringing the hose up the stairs of the burning apartment building on Fox Street?
(a) An elderly man fleeing the building.
(b) A young child.
(c) The woman and two children who lived in the burning apartment.
(d) Two young arsonists.

5. Why did Smith want to re-read the Yeats poem about wise men becoming tense with violence before they can accomplish fate?
(a) He was trying to understand what causes some men to willingly go into burning buildings.
(b) He was trying to understand the situation of people throwing rocks at firefighters.
(c) He was preparing another letter to the editor.
(d) He was trying to take his mind off his work.

6. Which firefighter died shortly before the time Chapter 2 takes place?
(a) Mike Carr.
(b) Mike Sullivan.
(c) Mike O'Brien.
(d) Bob Starr.

7. Why do some kids pull false fire alarms, according to the book?
(a) They do not understand that the alarms will trigger visits by the fire department.
(b) They are hired to pull alarms by arsonists.
(c) They are neglected and want to see the excitement of fire trucks racing
(d) They dare one another.

8. How did the firefighters save the life of the overdose victim on Hoe Avenue?
(a) By pumping his stomach.
(b) By performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
(c) By shoving ice down his pants.
(d) By performing CPR.

9. What did Fireman Big Van of Ladder 42 drink once he quit drinking beer?
(a) Vodka.
(b) Gin.
(c) Wine.
(d) Scotch.

10. How would firefighters have designed a building differently to make firefighting easier, according to Smith?
(a) They would have restricted the height.
(b) They would have designed better staircases.
(c) They would have eliminated elevators.
(d) They would have had more fire escapes.

11. What is the term Smith used to describe a challenging fire?
(a) A smoker.
(b) A three-bagger.
(c) A capital "F" fire.
(d) A worker.

12. Why did the firefighters have a difficult time getting into one of the Kelly Street apartments?
(a) The door was extremely hot.
(b) The door lacked a doorknob.
(c) The door was locked.
(d) The door was barricaded.

13. Why did Smith's mother scold him before he left for work in Chapter 3?
(a) She did not want him to be a firefighter.
(b) She believed the South Bronx was too dangerous to work in.
(c) She wanted him to move closer to his job.
(d) She argued with him about dinner.

14. Who was responsible for the most malicious false alarms?
(a) Criminals.
(b) Children.
(c) Adults.
(d) Teenagers.

15. What caused the fire at Union Avenue, the first call Smith responded to after his return to work?
(a) Faulty wiring.
(b) Food burning on a stove.
(c) Children playing with matches.
(d) Arson.

Short Answer Questions

1. To what experience does Smith compare his work for the fire department in the Introduction?

2. How were the men rescued during the factory fire?

3. What orders did the doctors give Smith after his injury from the Prospect Avenue fire?

4. Why was one of the firefighters upset about the Vietnam War protesters?

5. How did Smith view the firefighters he wrote about in the book compared to firefighters across the country?

(see the answer keys)

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