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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. How many books were destroyed in the fire?

2. When Orlean visited the library shipping department, how many people were working?

3. What color hair did Harry Peak have?

4. What time did the shipping department of the library open?

5. When did Harry Peak die?

Short Essay Questions

1. What jobs did Harry have in Los Angeles?

2. What had to be done after the fire was put out?

3. What was the first recorded instance of book burning, and what were the circumstances of that book burning?

4. Why was Mary Jones removed as city librarian?

5. Why did Orlean decide to burn a book, and why was it difficult for her?

6. What was and was not covered by insurance for the Central Library after the fire?

7. In Chapter 8, how many new books would arrive at the library in a month, and how were they processed?

8. How did Orlean describe the Central Library when she first saw it?

9. How was money raised to replace the library books?

10. How many times were there fires in the Central Library after the fire in April 1986?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Harry Peak constantly changed the stories he told about where he was on the day of the library fire. How did Harry’s stories constantly change? What did the changing stories reveal about Harry's struggle with “fabrication and truth” (224)?

Essay Topic 2

Althea Warren was known as a “reading evangelizer” (199). How did Warren feel about reading? How did she encourage people to read? Why was she known as a reading evangelizer or evangelist?

Essay Topic 3

Much of the library fire arson investigation was based on assumptions. When was the first scientifically-based report released on how to examine fires? Why were arson cases mostly based on assumptions before that time? How did assumption lead to wrongful convictions and how might assumption have led to Harry’s arrest?

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