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

2. Why were the teens carrying the items out of the Simpson Street apartment building?

3. What disease did one of the firefighters contract?

4. Why did Smith's mother hide the television under a bedspread?

5. What did the naked man on Southern Boulevard wield as a weapon?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Smith suggest that perhaps even with guidance, South Bronx resident Tina de Vega may still have ended up on drugs and prostituting herself?

2. What were Smith's initial views of firefighting before he joined the department?

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

4. In what key way does Smith say the modern firefighting exams are different from those of the past?

5. Describe the character of Lieutenant Collins.

6. Why had the system of safety inspections changed so radically?

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

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

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

10. How did Dennis Smith feel as a child when the welfare inspector visited his family?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In Chapter 2, a young boy was injured when a driver known for hot-rodding sped through the neighborhood; the driver was beaten by the gathered crowd before being rescued by police. Smith pointed out that while the boy never cried, the driver was weeping in the police car because he was worried he wouldn't be protected. How did the firefighters react to the man's attitude? In what way is physical pain sometimes easier to handle than mental pain? Does knowing you have been guilty of a crime cause pain? Did the man's crying indicate that he felt remorse for what he had done or was it simply cowardice? Is it ever easy to face up to despicable acts?

Essay Topic 2

Smith discusses dropping out of school because he wanted to start making money and states that he found his own way to survive. In retrospect, was his decision to drop out a good, bad, or neutral one? What could he have more easily accomplished had he earned his diploma? Are there things that he learned while working that he could not have learned in school?Could he have put those things off until after school?

Essay Topic 3

Smith describes his reasons for living outside of the community in which he served. Do you think it is necessary for civil servants to live in the communities for which they work? Would Smith have been any more effective if he had lived in the South Bronx? Or, did his decision to seek a quieter life for his family make it easier for him to serve a needy community? In what ways could living amongst the people you serve make you a better servant? Do communities have a responsibility to make it easier for civil servants to live locally by, for instance, ensuring affordable housing?

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