View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. Which writer once suggested that the story finds the author?
(a) Katherine Anne Porter.
(b) Sarah Orne Jewett..
(c) Charlotte Gilman.
(d) Shirley Jackson.

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

4. To which kind of call was the firefighter responding when he was killed, prior to the events in Chapter 2?
(a) An auto accident.
(b) A malicious false alarm.
(c) A stabbing.
(d) A burning apartment building.

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

6. 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 preparing another letter to the editor.
(c) He was trying to take his mind off his work.
(d) He was trying to understand the situation of people throwing rocks at firefighters.

7. What did the firefighters find on Freeman Street during one of the calls in Chapter 3?
(a) A burning car.
(b) A burning store.
(c) A car accident.
(d) A man injured in a fight.

8. Which captain entered the Kelly Street apartment first?
(a) Capt. Frimes.
(b) Capt. Smith.
(c) Capt. Solwen.
(d) Capt. O'Brien.

9. What was wrong with the furnace room where the firefighters retreated for warmth during the Charlotte Street fire?
(a) The furnace was not working.
(b) It was filled with cockroaches.
(c) It was filled with mice.
(d) The roof had caved in.

10. What field did Smith's wife want him to go into instead of firefighting?
(a) Teaching.
(b) Sanitation.
(c) Accounting.
(d) Engineering.

11. What happened to several firefighters (including Smith) fighting a blaze at a two-story factory building?
(a) The roof caved in.
(b) The windows began breaking.
(c) A fire broke out behind them.
(d) The floor gave away.

12. What did the ladder company do to get to the source of the smoke at the Charlotte Street fire?
(a) Ventilated the roof.
(b) Broke down all the doors inside.
(c) Broke the windows.
(d) Ripped holes in the wall.

13. Where was the last false alarm of the day called from, at the end of Chapter 5?
(a) Boston Road.
(b) Trenton Road.
(c) Long Island Road.
(d) Manhattan Road.

14. Why was one of the firefighters upset about the Vietnam War protesters?
(a) He was upset about the disruption to society.
(b) He felt the protesters did not understand the war.
(c) He supported the war effort.
(d) He felt they were in college simply because it helped them avoid the draft.

15. How did the boy sustain the injuries suffered in the incident at Home and Simpson streets in Chapter 2?
(a) He was injured while playing ball.
(b) He was struck by a car.
(c) He was beaten.
(d) He fell from his bike while riding.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did the firefighters think the car in the middle of Stebbins Avenue was stolen?

2. Why does Smith call firefighters the most "ubiquitous" civil servants?

3. What were the "high incidence hours" that Tactical Control Unit 712 became responsible for?

4. What did the landlord of the Kelly Street apartments do once the youths had spread the gasoline around?

5. Why was his wife upset the morning Smith went back to work?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 714 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample