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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was the cause of the fire the men responded to at Union and 166th Street in Chapter 10?
(a) Electrical fire.
(b) Stove fire.
(c) Arson.
(d) Burning cigarette on a couch.

2. Why was Smith concerned about striking for better working conditions?
(a) He was afraid he would be fired.
(b) He was afraid he would be punished by being transferred even farther from his home.
(c) He was afraid that the neighborhood would not be safe during a strike.
(d) He was afraid the other firefighters would split over the strike.

3. Why did it take the firemen longer than usual to reach the large fire on Intervale Avenue in Chapter 10?
(a) They had been responding to a false alarm.
(b) They had been responding to a car accident.
(c) They had been responding to an overdose.
(d) They had been called to an arson fire at an abandoned building.

4. How much did the air pack weigh that Fireman Bill Kelsey put on his back while responding to the Southern Boulevard fire call in Chapter 8?
(a) Thirty pounds.
(b) Twenty pounds.
(c) Twenty-five pounds.
(d) Forty pounds.

5. What did the cockroaches symbolize in Smith's view?
(a) Poverty.
(b) Uncleanliness.
(c) Disease.
(d) Fear.

Short Answer Questions

1. To which classical literary figure does Smith refer when describing the wounds on the young girl assaulted by her stepfather in Chapter 9?

2. What free perk did New York firemen get?

3. How did Smith view the fire department's amusement park trip for neighborhood children?

4. Why did the city fence off the empty lots near the fire station?

5. What three jobs did the nuns at Smith's school tell the students they could aspire to?

Short Essay Questions

1. In what way can the training firemen undergo never be completely sufficient?

2. How did the firefighters react to the call in Chapter 7 in which they tended to a man who almost overdosed on drugs?

3. Why were the men uneasy as they begin the training drill in Chapter 6?

4. What were Smith's initial views of firefighting before he joined the department?

5. Why did Smith view being a firemen as a sign of success when he was a child?

6. In what way does it seem as though Smith--despite his hatred for cockroaches--actually respects them?

7. Why does Smith suggest that perhaps even with guidance, South Bronx resident Tina de Vega may still have ended up on drugs and prostituting herself?

8. How did Dennis Smith feel as a child when the welfare inspector visited his family?

9. Did Smith's wife appreciate her husband's devotion to his job?

10. How did contemplating the changing seasons make it easier for Smith to deal with the dangers of his job?

(see the answer keys)

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