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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did the plan not work out?
(a) There was confusion about which company should respond to which fires.
(b) Ladder Co. 31 had a dramatic increase in calls.
(c) Each company had a dramatic increase in calls.
(d) Engine Co. 82 had a dramatic increase in calls.

2. For which time period did Smith work as a firefighter in the South Bronx?
(a) 1969-1976.
(b) 1962-1969.
(c) 1960-67.
(d) 1966-73.

3. Which magazine asked Smith to write about firefighters?
(a) Newsweek.
(b) Time.
(c) Life.
(d) True.

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

5. Why did Smith move outside the city after growing up there?
(a) He had family in the area.
(b) He wanted to be closer to work.
(c) He felt it was a better place for a family.
(d) His wife could be closer to her work.

6. What did the landlord of the Kelly Street apartments do once the youths had spread the gasoline around?
(a) He threw a match and locked the men in.
(b) He tried to get the young men out.
(c) He had the young men light the gasoline.
(d) He was not at the scene.

7. Who was responsible for the fire at the Kelly Street apartments?
(a) One of the renters.
(b) A disgruntled employee.
(c) The landlord.
(d) Someone with a grudge against a resident.

8. On what street did the firefighters respond to a large fire in Chapter 5?
(a) Broad Street.
(b) Campanella Avenue.
(c) Charlotte Street.
(d) Carlotti Street.

9. 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 argued with him about dinner.
(d) She wanted him to move closer to his job.

10. How does Smith describe the racial characteristics of Washingtonville?
(a) The town is overwhelmingly white.
(b) The town is predominately black.
(c) There are blacks and whites and they are integrated.
(d) There are blacks and whites, but they live in separate sections of town.

11. How did Smith view the firefighters he wrote about in the book compared to firefighters across the country?
(a) They are unique in their level of bravery.
(b) They are representative of all firefighters.
(c) They are the most skilled.
(d) They are unique in their experiences.

12. What happened to Dennis as a child involving cockroaches?
(a) He had discovered dozens of cockroaches in the refrigerator.
(b) He had drunk from a bottle and almost swallowed a cockroach.
(c) He had accidentally eaten a cockroach hidden in food.
(d) He had woken up at night to find himself covered with cockroaches.

13. What happened to the fireman who was injured while responding to a call in Chapter 4?
(a) He was hospitalized for a week.
(b) He refused to be admitted to the hospital.
(c) He was treated at the scene.
(d) He was admitted to the hospital overnight.

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

15. Why does Smith call firefighters the most "ubiquitous" civil servants?
(a) They are the best funded of all civil service departments.
(b) They respond to calls involving each and every natural and man-made disaster.
(c) They are the civil servants who most frequently interact with individuals.
(d) They are the most numerous civil servants.

Short Answer Questions

1. What do arsonists sometimes do when they leave the scene of a fire?

2. How was a firefighter injured while rescuing a child from a fire on Prospect Avenue?

3. How long did Smith take off to recover from the throat damage he sustained during the Prospect Avenue fire in Chapter 3?

4. How did Smith remember details for the book while working full-time?

5. What happened when two of the fire trucks collided while responding to a call in Chapter 4?

(see the answer keys)

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