View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. During the time that Lydia Prescott ran the library, to how many books did the collection grow from an initial number of 12,000?

2. What is the entry level salary for a librarian in the Los Angeles system?

3. What type of librarian did Arin Kasparian wish to become?

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

5. What did Harry Peak's father do for a living?

Short Essay Questions

1. What struggle was there for the library staff to work after the fire?

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

3. Who was Bertram Goodhue?

4. Why was Mary Jones removed as city librarian?

5. How did the fire department begin investigating after the fire was extinguished?

6. What did Orlean discover about the library's reputation for being a quiet place?

7. What was a polite expression in Senegal to say that a person died, and why did the author think the saying was appropriate?

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

9. What had to be done with the books that were wet?

10. What was Charles Lummis's first job in Los Angeles, and how did he get to the city from Cleveland?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why were librarians who worked at the library at the time of the fire traumatized? What were the working conditions like after the fire? How did those conditions cause stress?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Juxtaposition is a literary device used to compare and contrast things. How does the author use juxtaposition to show the differences between the old and new library? How does the use of juxtaposition show the way that the past, present, and future intersected at the library?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,025 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample