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

Multiple Choice Questions

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

2. 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.

3. Why was Smith sent to the hospital after the Prospect Avenue fire?
(a) He suffered slight burns.
(b) He suffered injuries from falling debris.
(c) He broke his ankle leaving the building.
(d) He sustained smoke damage to his throat.

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

5. Where on his body did Fireman Bill Kelsey get burned while battling the Charlotte Street blaze?
(a) On his thigh.
(b) On his left. arm.
(c) On his chest.
(d) On his back.

6. What was the Kelly Street apartment landlord charged with after the fire?
(a) One count of arson.
(b) He was not charged.
(c) Two counts of murder.
(d) One count of murder.

7. What were the three young men doing in the empty Kelly Street apartment building?
(a) They were homeless and were squatting there.
(b) They were hired by the landlord to torch it.
(c) They were fixing the apartments up for future rental.
(d) They were selling drugs in the empty apartments.

8. How were the men rescued during the factory fire?
(a) One of the fires was put out and they retreated in that direction.
(b) They were able to jump out the windows.
(c) The fire chief sent a ladder up.
(d) Another team arrived and put out the fires.

9. What is the name of the national magazine started by Smith after writing the memoir?
(a) American Firefighter.
(b) Firefighting Today.
(c) The Station.
(d) Firehouse.

10. Why did the men take turns manning the hose while battling the apartment building fire in Chapter 5?
(a) To get a break from the cold weather.
(b) Because they were physically tired.
(c) Because they were sleepy.
(d) Because some of them were in training.

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

12. How was Fireman Nick Riso injured while responding to a call?
(a) He suffered smoke inhalation.
(b) He was involved in a car accident.
(c) Someone threw a brick at him while he was responding to a call.
(d) He was injured in a fire.

13. Why did the firefighters not enter the burning apartment building in Chapter 5?
(a) Therewere no unblocked entrances.
(b) The roof had collapsed and it was too dangerous to enter.
(c) There was nobody in the building.
(d) They could attack the fire more effectively from outside.

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

15. What did Smith keep in his locker at the fire station?
(a) The collected works of James Joyce.
(b) A battered book of Irish prose.
(c) A battered book of Irish poetry.
(d) A battered book of Yeats' poems.

Short Answer Questions

1. How did Smith believe the city was treated by the state?

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

3. What caused the fire at Union Avenue, the first call Smith responded to after his return to work?

4. Who was responsible for the most malicious false alarms?

5. For which time period did Smith work as a firefighter in the South Bronx?

(see the answer keys)

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