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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Smith's mother hide the television under a bedspread?
(a) The TV was broken.
(b) She was afraid the TV would be stolen.
(c) Welfare recipients were not allowed to have TVs or phones.
(d) She did not want her children watching TV.

2. How old was Tina when Smith first met her?
(a) Eighteen.
(b) Ten.
(c) Fourteen.
(d) Seventeen.

3. What holiday was being celebrated on Smith's day off in Chapter 7?
(a) Memorial Day.
(b) Labor Day.
(c) Easter.
(d) Fourth of July.

4. How did being interviewed by Cynthia affect Smith's mood in Chapter 9?
(a) He was depressed because he saw nothing but heartache for Cynthia.
(b) He was not affected at all.
(c) He was confused about the future of local children.
(d) He was encouraged that there were decent, hardworking kids in South Bronx.

5. Why did Smith not want to leave the South Bronx?
(a) He felt the neighborhood needed him.
(b) He thought other places would be boring.
(c) He was determined to become a captain.
(d) He received extra pay for working in a tough neighborhood.

6. How old was Smith when he filled out an application to the fire department?
(a) Twenty-five.
(b) Eighteen.
(c) Twenty-two.
(d) Twenty-one.

7. What film does Smith reference when discussing the station's housekeeping chores in Chapter 10?
(a) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
(b) Cinderella.
(c) Sleeping Beauty.
(d) Fantasia.

8. Where did the firemen's training occur?
(a) Ellis Island.
(b) Staten Island.
(c) Long Island.
(d) Welfare Island.

9. How did Smith march in the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chapter 6?
(a) In his firefighter's gear on a fire truck.
(b) In a business suit with fellow firefighters.
(c) In a kilt playing bagpipes.
(d) In an ambulance.

10. At what age did Smith drop out of school?
(a) Seventeen.
(b) Fourteen.
(c) Fifteen.
(d) Sixteen.

11. What did the firefighters discover after the police had left the station in Chapter 6?
(a) A bullet that hit the alarm system.
(b) A bullet lodged in a fire truck.
(c) A bullet that had ricocheted and landed on the floor of the fire station.
(d) A bullet lodged in a bulletin board near Smith.

12. What did the welfare inspector recommend to the welfare agency after the visit?
(a) He recommended a decrease in benefits when he saw the television.
(b) He recommended an increase in benefits so that the children could get winter coats.
(c) He recommended an increase in benefits so the family could have more to eat.
(d) He recommended no change in benefits.

13. What kind of entertainment did the firefighters and children experience during the ice cream party in Chapter 9?
(a) Pop music and tap dancing.
(b) Calypso and breakdancing.
(c) Steel drums and African dance.
(d) African dance and Irish dance.

14. How did Smith try to impress people after dropping out of school?
(a) By claiming he was studying business.
(b) By claiming he was studying to be a botanist.
(c) By claiming he was saving money to tour Europe.
(d) By claiming he planned to become manager of the store one day.

15. What is the Irish way of making tea, as described by Smith in Chapter 7?
(a) Black tea with sugar.
(b) Black tea plain.
(c) Cream and sugar.
(d) Half tea and half milk.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why was Pat, Dennis' wife, willing to accept his remaining in a dangerous profession?

2. Who was temporarily in charge while Captain Albergray was on vacation in Chapter 10?

3. How was the bleeding woman who ran into the station for help injured in Chapter 9?

4. What was the first call the department took the day after the Saint Patrick's Day parade?

5. What did the cockroaches symbolize in Smith's view?

(see the answer keys)

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