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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 is the primary problem with New York City, in Smith's eyes?

2. How does Smith envision false alarms occurring in richer neighborhoods?

3. What was wrong with the furnace room where the firefighters retreated for warmth during the Charlotte Street fire?

4. Why did the firefighters think the car in the middle of Stebbins Avenue was stolen?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Artie think the 20th century should be called the "Great Zap"?

2. Why does Smith say city workers were fleeing cities to live in the suburbs?

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

4. As the fire truck responded to the call on Wilkens Avenue in Chapter 3, what experience did Smith flash back to?

5. During a raging fire, Smith imagines neighbors serving coffee and food to the firefighters. Why does he think this is an impossibility in New York City?

6. Besides the risks to firefighters, what does Dennis Smith believe is a real risk of malicious false alarms?

7. What did the firemen do when they got the second teenager out of the Intervale Avenue apartment building, which was torched in the arson attack in Chapter 1?

8. Why were the firefighters remaining at the scene of the fire on Forest Avenue (in Chapter 5) unsure of the names of the injured firemen?

9. How did the attack on Firefighter Nick Riso (a brick was thrown at him in Chapter 3) make Smith feel?

10. What did Dennis Smith observe about the attitude of the driver who hit the young boy and was then beaten by the crowd in Chapter 2?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Smith discussed the need for the firefighters to pay for much of the equipment and supplies they needed for their jobs. Why do you think New York was reluctant to provide sufficient provisions for fire departments? How did the firefighters view this lack of support and what would they have liked to do about it?

Essay Topic 2

Smith describes his reasons for living outside of the community in which he served. Do you think it is necessary for civil servants to live in the communities for which they work? Would Smith have been any more effective if he had lived in the South Bronx? Or, did his decision to seek a quieter life for his family make it easier for him to serve a needy community? In what ways could living amongst the people you serve make you a better servant? Do communities have a responsibility to make it easier for civil servants to live locally by, for instance, ensuring affordable housing?

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 2, a young boy was injured when a driver known for hot-rodding sped through the neighborhood; the driver was beaten by the gathered crowd before being rescued by police. Smith pointed out that while the boy never cried, the driver was weeping in the police car because he was worried he wouldn't be protected. How did the firefighters react to the man's attitude? In what way is physical pain sometimes easier to handle than mental pain? Does knowing you have been guilty of a crime cause pain? Did the man's crying indicate that he felt remorse for what he had done or was it simply cowardice? Is it ever easy to face up to despicable acts?

(see the answer keys)

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