View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What options did the firefighters have when they were trapped between the two blazes at the factory building?
(a) They could wait for another team to arrive or jump out the window.
(b) They had no options.
(c) They could jump out the windows or climb to the roof.
(d) They could all focus on one fire or split up and tackle both.

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

3. What does Smith say computers can be used for in the firefighting field?
(a) Computers can help firefighters determine the best way to fight a fire.
(b) Computers can help fire trucks find fires faster.
(c) Computers can project how many fires will occur in a given day.
(d) Computers can be used to reduce response times.

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

5. Why does Smith say there are fewer fires today compared to the period during which he served?
(a) Fire safety codes have made buildings less prone to fire.
(b) The wider use of fire extinguishers has led to small fires being put out before the fire trucks arrive.
(c) There is more intolerance for crime, and radicalism has decreased.
(d) The population has decreased and there are more empty buildings.

6. What happened when two of the fire trucks collided while responding to a call in Chapter 4?
(a) A bystander was injured.
(b) A bicyclist hit one of the trucks.
(c) A civilian vehicle collided with the trucks.
(d) A firefighter hanging on the back of one truck was badly injured.

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

8. What did Smith find buried under the rubble at the Charlotte Street apartment in Chapter 5?
(a) A race car set.
(b) A child's bike.
(c) A Big Wheel.
(d) A doll.

9. What injury did the young Hispanic boy suffer during the dinner time call to Home and Simpson streets?
(a) A broken arm.
(b) A broken neck.
(c) Abrasions and bruises.
(d) A broken leg.

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

11. What is one example of a booby trap sometimes left by arsonists?
(a) Locked doors to trap firefighters.
(b) Gasoline cans that will explode as the fire spreads.
(c) Broken glass left on the floors.
(d) A piece of linoleum covering a hole in an upper floor.

12. How does Smith describe his political leanings?
(a) Libertarian.
(b) Democratic.
(c) Republican.
(d) Moderate.

13. What is the name of the institute started by Smith after publication of the book?
(a) American Firefighters Health and Safety Institute.
(b) Firefighters United for Health and Safety.
(c) Foundation for the Health and Safety of American Firefighters.
(d) Institute for the Study of Health and Fire Safety.

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

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

Short Answer Questions

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

2. Which firefighter died shortly before the time Chapter 2 takes place?

3. How do firefighters get enough oxygen when a building is thick with smoke?

4. In which borough did Smith serve?

5. Approximately how many firefighters died each year in New York at the time the book was written?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 712 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample