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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. Who was temporarily in charge while Captain Albergray was on vacation in Chapter 10?

2. Why was Smith concerned about striking for better working conditions?

3. What did the firefighters discover after the police had left the station in Chapter 6?

4. What did the cockroaches symbolize in Smith's view?

5. How did Smith's attitude toward cockroaches change as an adult?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Smith convince himself of the need to respond to all calls when he found himself getting fed up with the arson incidents?

2. How did the firefighters react to the call in Chapter 7 in which they tended to a man who almost overdosed on drugs?

3. What did Smith find most frustrating about the attack on the firefighters (the dropped garbage can) in Chapter 8?

4. In what way does it seem as though Smith--despite his hatred for cockroaches--actually respects them?

5. Describe the character of Lieutenant Collins.

6. Why did Smith think it was useless to argue with the sneering youths hanging around a fireman's car in Chapter 10?

7. Why were some of the firefighters unwilling to help out at the department's occasional parties for neighborhood kids?

8. How did contemplating the changing seasons make it easier for Smith to deal with the dangers of his job?

9. Does Smith feel that society has become more violent over the years, and if so, why?

10. Why did Smith view being a firemen as a sign of success when he was a child?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Fire departments in the United States are traditionally overwhelmingly white--Smith himself came from an Irish background and many of his fellow firemen are Irish or Italian. How did that situation arise? Does the tradition of family members following one another into the field explain it? In what ways have fire departments attempted to diversify in recent years, and have those efforts been successful? Are there specific ways you can think of that would help diversify fire departments?

Essay Topic 2

Most of the malicious false alarms in the engine company's neighborhood were pulled by young children. What did Smith believe was the proper punishment for these children? Did he believe that putting them away for awhile in a juvenile facility would teach them a lesson? Or, would exposure to other, possibly more violent, young people, backfire? How does society determine the proper punishment for a child and whether the child is old enough to be taught a lesson?

Essay Topic 3

The firefighters of Engine Co. 82 made several efforts to connect with the neighborhood children, for example, through ice cream parties. Do these sorts of community outreach projects ultimately help the community and if so, how? How can seeing authority figures "at ease" and off the job help children see them as non-threatening? Smith at one point expresses dismay that firefighters willing to to crawl through a fire to rescue one black child will share ice cream with 100 black children. In what ways do these community outreach projects help firefighters themselves? Do they normally get the chance to see people at their best? Can getting to know the neighbors outside of emergency calls help firefighters develop a deeper and more satisfying relationship with their community?

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