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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. Where did Smith take the application test?
(a) Greenwich Village.
(b) South Bronx.
(c) Upper West Side.
(d) Harlem.

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

3. Why were the firefighters frustrated about budget issues?
(a) The budget was being cut.
(b) Layoffs were expected.
(c) The firefighters themselves have always had to pay for basic station needs.
(d) Salaries were being cut.

4. Why did Fireman Jim Stack have to stay longer at the hospital after the Intervale Avenue fire in Chapter 10?
(a) He had dangerously high blood pressure and nerve palpitations.
(b) He suffered severe smoke inhalation.
(c) He suffered a heart attack.
(d) He suffered severe burns.

5. How many shots did the police officer fire at the fleeing youth in front of the fire station in Chapter 6?
(a) Two.
(b) Five.
(c) One.
(d) Three.

Short Answer Questions

1. What did the woman do to the man whose Intervale Avenue apartment burned in Chapter 7?

2. What actor was interviewed in the Playboy issue, read by Smith in Chapter 7?

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

4. Why was Dennis upset about the visit from the welfare inspector?

5. How old was Smith when he filled out an application to the fire department?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Is the poverty seen by Dennis Smith in the South Bronx different than the poverty in which he grew up?

3. How did Smith distinguish between acts of shoplifting and looting within poor neighborhoods?

4. What did Smith find most frustrating about the attack on the firefighters (the dropped garbage can) in Chapter 8?

5. How did Smith convince himself of the need to respond to all calls when he found himself getting fed up with the arson incidents?

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

7. In what key way does Smith say the modern firefighting exams are different from those of the past?

8. Why had the system of safety inspections changed so radically?

9. Why were some of the firefighters unwilling to help out at the department's occasional parties for neighborhood kids?

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

(see the answer keys)

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