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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. How was the bleeding woman who ran into the station for help injured in Chapter 9?

2. Approximately how many children were at the ice cream party in Chapter 9?

3. Why did Fireman Jim Stack have to stay longer at the hospital after the Intervale Avenue fire in Chapter 10?

4. What did Smith foresee when he first applied to become a firefighter?

5. What did the newspaper article say a firefighter rescued following a rubbish fire?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Why were the men uneasy as they begin the training drill in Chapter 6?

9. Describe the character of Lieutenant Collins.

10. In what way can the training firemen undergo never be completely sufficient?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Abject poverty is a recurrent theme in Report From Engine Co. 82. In what ways does Smith think that poverty leads to an increase in crime and fire incidents in the South Bronx? Discuss how feelings of desperation Smith describes can break apart families and contribute to an ongoing cycle of poverty and lawlessness.

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

Firefighters come across as three-dimensional human beings in this book--we see their bravery, their humanity, their occasional pettiness, and their frustrations and prejudices. In what ways has reading this book changed or not changed your view of firefighters? Before reading the book, did you have a particular image of firemen? Was that image reinforced or shattered? Do you have more respect or understanding of them now?

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