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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. From which service area did Fireman Vinny Royce switch to join Engine Co. 82?
(a) Harlem.
(b) Lower East Side.
(c) East Harlem.
(d) Beford-Stuyvesant.

2. Approximately what percentage of the fire department's calls were for actual fires?
(a) One-quarter.
(b) One-half.
(c) One-third.
(d) Three-quarters.

3. Approximately how many calls did Engine Co. 82 respond to the year before the book was written?
(a) Over 10,500.
(b) Over 9,000.
(c) Under 8,000.
(d) Over 10,000.

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

5. In which borough did Smith serve?
(a) Bedford-Stuyvesant.
(b) South Bronx.
(c) Harlem.
(d) Lower East Side.

6. What did Smith consider the most admirable characteristic of firefighters?
(a) Their committment to community.
(b) Their bravery.
(c) Their reliability.
(d) Their strength.

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

8. How did Smith feel when first approached about writing a memoir of firefighting?
(a) Convinced that people would never understand firefighters.
(b) Concerned that he would be incapable of writing.
(c) Concerned that he did not know enough about firefighting.
(d) Challenged by the act of writing the way climbers are challenged by mountains.

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

10. To which publication did Dennis Smith write a letter that caught the attention of editors?
(a) New York Times.
(b) New York Times Book Review.
(c) Time magazine.
(d) Washington Post.

11. 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.

12. What did the sound of four 5 bells announce at the fire station?
(a) Injuries to a firefighter.
(b) A car accident.
(c) The death of a firefighter in the line of duty.
(d) A multiple-alarm fire.

13. What is the primary problem with New York City, in Smith's eyes?
(a) It is too poor.
(b) It is not integrated.
(c) There are too many minorities.
(d) It is simply too big.

14. How did the firefighter die in the previous incident mentioned in Chapter 2?
(a) He fell off the fire truck as it rounded a corner and died from his injuries.
(b) He died of smoke inhalation while battling a fire.
(c) He was badly burned in a fire.
(d) He suffered a heart attack.

15. Why did the firefighters think the car in the middle of Stebbins Avenue was stolen?
(a) The windows were broken.
(b) The radio was gone.
(c) The wheels and tires had been removed.
(d) The steering wheel was gone.

Short Answer Questions

1. On what street did the firefighters respond to a large fire in Chapter 5?

2. Why does Smith say there are fewer fires today compared to the period during which he served?

3. What kind of tool did the firefighters use to break down the door during the Kelly Street fire?

4. What was the average daily number of false alarms in New York City during the time period covered by the book?

5. What kind of test was Fireman Benny Carroll studying for in Chapter 3?

(see the answer keys)

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