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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What were the three young men doing in the empty Kelly Street apartment building?

2. In Smith's view, what needed to happen before people stopped assaulting firefighters?

3. What is one example of a booby trap sometimes left by arsonists?

4. What happened to the young man seen running from the Kelly Street apartment?

5. What board game were the firemen playing in Chapter 3?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Katherine Anne Porter mean by "a book will find its author" and how did that apply to Dennis Smith?

2. How did the firefighters feel about the deaths of the two teenagers in the Intervale Avenue arson fire in Chapter 1?

3. Why, according to Dennis Smith, were so many false alarms were pulled in the South Bronx?

4. How did Dennis Smith get started on writing Report From Engine Co. 82?

5. How does the fire department announce the death of a fellow firefighter in the line of duty?

6. Why does Dennis Smith think firefighters--although regular people--are nevertheless somehow apart from others?

7. What does Dennis Smith think should be done with people who pull malicious false alarms, and why?

8. What did the South Bronx neighbors do in an attempt to stop malicious false alarms from the Hoe Avenue alarm box and was it effective?

9. Why did some of the men defend Chief Marks despite the fact that he was known for yelling at the firefighters?

10. How did the other firefighters look at Artie, the firefighter with the beard and degree in sociology?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fire departments in the United States are traditionally overwhelmingly white--Smith himself came from an Irish background and many of his fellow firemen are Irish or Italian. How did that situation arise? Does the tradition of family members following one another into the field explain it? In what ways have fire departments attempted to diversify in recent years, and have those efforts been successful? Are there specific ways you can think of that would help diversify fire departments?

Essay Topic 2

When he was a child, Smith's mother made him hide the family television set when the welfare inspector came to visit because she was afraid they would not receive extra funding for winter coats. He describes the visit as tension-filled as the family tried to make the right impression. Why did he find this sort of visit humiliating? What kind of image of his family did Smith get when they had to accept random visits from city officials to prove that they were sufficiently poor to warrant help?

Essay Topic 3

"Report From Engine Co. 82" was the first full-length book providing ordinary citizens with a glimpse into the insular world of firemen, and it became a runaway bestseller. Smith speaks of being thrilled about the opportunity to share his life with ordinary citizens. Why do you think the book proved so popular? Were people hungry for information about the lives of people they only saw during times of crisis? Do you think the book changed any opinions about the work firefighters do?

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