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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What was Billy O'Mann griping about when talking about empty lots near the fire station?
(a) He thought the city should allow firefighters to park there so their cars do not get stolen.
(b) He thought the station should be expanded onto those lots.
(c) He thought new buildings should be constructed on the lots.
(d) He thought parks should be built in the lots.

2. Why were the teens carrying the items out of the Simpson Street apartment building?
(a) They stole them from another resident.
(b) They were carrying them out for another resident.
(c) They had bought them from another resident.
(d) They were carrying them out of their own apartment for safety.

3. To which classical literary figure does Smith refer when describing the wounds on the young girl assaulted by her stepfather in Chapter 9?
(a) Electra.
(b) Gaia.
(c) Medusa.
(d) Medea.

4. Why were the five adults and two children unable to escape the burning building?
(a) Because the fire on the floors below stopped them.
(b) Because the fire escape was broken.
(c) Because a partial roof collapse blocked their way.
(d) Because the doors were locked from the outside to kep drug addicts out.

5. How was the bleeding woman who ran into the station for help injured in Chapter 9?
(a) Her stepfather attacked her with a beer bottle when she resisted a sexual assault.
(b) Her mother assaulted her.
(c) Her boyfriend assaulted her.
(d) She was involved in a car accident.

6. How many weeks did fireman's training last?
(a) Eight.
(b) Twelve.
(c) Six.
(d) Ten.

7. Why were the firefighters frustrated about budget issues?
(a) Salaries were being cut.
(b) Layoffs were expected.
(c) The firefighters themselves have always had to pay for basic station needs.
(d) The budget was being cut.

8. What did the naked man on Southern Boulevard wield as a weapon?
(a) A baseball bat.
(b) A whip.
(c) A butcher knife.
(d) A handgun.

9. What was the first call the department took the day after the Saint Patrick's Day parade?
(a) A child locked inside an apartment alone.
(b) An overflowing bathtub flooding an apartment beneath.
(c) A child locked inside a bathroom alone.
(d) A stove fire.

10. Who was temporarily in charge while Captain Albergray was on vacation in Chapter 10?
(a) Bill Valenzio.
(b) Lieutenant Collins.
(c) Lieutenant Stack.
(d) Artie Merritt.

11. Why did the firemen call for police assistance while battling the Fox Street fire in Chapter 8?
(a) Residents were screaming at the firemen.
(b) There were people fighting in the street.
(c) They were attacked with garbage cans and iron balls.
(d) There were looters in the area.

12. Why did the Fire Department persist in holding parties for children who regularly harassed firefighters?
(a) They were trying to build bridges within the community.
(b) They hoped to make it easier to catch the pranksters.
(c) They were required to do so by neighborhood officials.
(d) They were required to do so by the city officials.

13. Why did it take the firemen longer than usual to reach the large fire on Intervale Avenue in Chapter 10?
(a) They had been responding to an overdose.
(b) They had been responding to a car accident.
(c) They had been responding to a false alarm.
(d) They had been called to an arson fire at an abandoned building.

14. Why did Smith say he disagreed with fellow firefighters' prejudices, but also understood them?
(a) They are more poorly paid than firefighters in white areas.
(b) Firefighting is most difficult and dangerous in poor, minority areas
(c) They do not live in the neighborhoods they serve.
(d) The only minorities they encounter are criminals.

15. What film does Smith reference when discussing the station's housekeeping chores in Chapter 10?
(a) Sleeping Beauty.
(b) Fantasia.
(c) Cinderella.
(d) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Smith think his school principal and mother were wrong to lament his dropping out?

2. What was the name of the young prostitute who lived in the neighborhood served by Engine Co. 82?

3. While responding to an apartment fire on Simpson Street in Chapter 7, what did the firefighters see two teenagers carrying down the stairs?

4. What was the cause of the fire the men responded to at Union and 166th Street in Chapter 10?

5. How much did the air pack weigh that Fireman Bill Kelsey put on his back while responding to the Southern Boulevard fire call in Chapter 8?

(see the answer keys)

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