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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In which city did Smith serve?
(a) New York City.
(b) Los Angeles.
(c) Chicago.
(d) Boston.

2. Why did the firefighters have a difficult time getting into one of the Kelly Street apartments?
(a) The door lacked a doorknob.
(b) The door was barricaded.
(c) The door was extremely hot.
(d) The door was locked.

3. Why was one of the firefighters upset about the Vietnam War protesters?
(a) He felt they were in college simply because it helped them avoid the draft.
(b) He felt the protesters did not understand the war.
(c) He was upset about the disruption to society.
(d) He supported the war effort.

4. What orders did the doctors give Smith after his injury from the Prospect Avenue fire?
(a) Do not work for a few weeks.
(b) Do not talk much or smoke for a few weeks.
(c) Do not talk at all.
(d) Get extra sleep.

5. How did Smith feel when first approached about writing a memoir of firefighting?
(a) Concerned that he did not know enough about firefighting.
(b) Concerned that he would be incapable of writing.
(c) Convinced that people would never understand firefighters.
(d) Challenged by the act of writing the way climbers are challenged by mountains.

6. Who was the second injured person found by firefighters at the Home and Simpson streets intersection, and how was he injured?
(a) The boy's friend, who was also hit.
(b) The driver; he sustained the injuries in the accident.
(c) The driver; he had been beaten by the angry crowd.
(d) A bystander mistaken for the driver and beaten.

7. What happened to the fireman who was injured while responding to a call in Chapter 4?
(a) He was hospitalized for a week.
(b) He was admitted to the hospital overnight.
(c) He was treated at the scene.
(d) He refused to be admitted to the hospital.

8. What do arsonists sometimes do when they leave the scene of a fire?
(a) They gather evidence of arson and take it away.
(b) They leave booby traps to hurt firefighters.
(c) They do not call the fire department to report the fire.
(d) They call the fire department anonymously.

9. What was wrong with the furnace room where the firefighters retreated for warmth during the Charlotte Street fire?
(a) The roof had caved in.
(b) It was filled with mice.
(c) It was filled with cockroaches.
(d) The furnace was not working.

10. What caused the fire at Union Avenue, the first call Smith responded to after his return to work?
(a) Food burning on a stove.
(b) Children playing with matches.
(c) Faulty wiring.
(d) Arson.

11. What is the name of the national magazine started by Smith after writing the memoir?
(a) Firehouse.
(b) The Station.
(c) American Firefighter.
(d) Firefighting Today.

12. For which time period did Smith work as a firefighter in the South Bronx?
(a) 1969-1976.
(b) 1966-73.
(c) 1960-67.
(d) 1962-1969.

13. What did the kids across the street from the Union Avenue fire do when the firefighters arrived?
(a) They sang.
(b) They asked the firefighters to give them a ride.
(c) They cheered.
(d) They chanted and yelled insults.

14. Why did Smith insist on working in the South Bronx?
(a) He had relatives there.
(b) He believed the people there had a right to fire services.
(c) He lived close to the South Bronx.
(d) The pay was better.

15. Why does Smith say there are fewer fires today compared to the period during which he served?
(a) Fire safety codes have made buildings less prone to fire.
(b) The wider use of fire extinguishers has led to small fires being put out before the fire trucks arrive.
(c) The population has decreased and there are more empty buildings.
(d) There is more intolerance for crime, and radicalism has decreased.

Short Answer Questions

1. Where was the last false alarm of the day called from, at the end of Chapter 5?

2. What did the firefighters find on Freeman Street during one of the calls in Chapter 3?

3. What did the ladder company do to get to the source of the smoke at the Charlotte Street fire?

4. How was Fireman Nick Riso injured while responding to a call?

5. How does Smith describe his political leanings?

(see the answer keys)

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