The Great Fire

Which of the following options mainly explains why Chicago was “a city ready to burn”?

• Many of its buildings were made of wood.

• People crowded their land with closely-built structures.

• Homes were mixed in with factories and other businesses.

• All of the above

The following passage (paragraph 3) mainly shows fill in the blank___________.

The wind coming off the prairie had been strong all day, sometimes gusting wildly, and leaves scuttled along the street; the sound of laughter and fiddle music drifted through the night. A party was going on at the McLaughlins' to celebrate the arrival of a relative from Ireland. Another neighbor, Dennis Rogan, dropped by the O'Learys' at eight-thirty, but he, too, left when he learned the family was in bed.

• the reasons why Chicago easily burned down

• the moments before the fire

• that the O’Learys were popular

• who set the fire

Which of these inferences about the O’Learys’ neighborhood is best supported by the text?

• Their neighborhood was made up of immigrants.

• Their neighborhood was dirty.

• Their neighborhood was working class.

• Their neighborhood was quiet.

What is most closely the central idea of the passage below (paragraph 9)?

A shed attached to the barn was already engulfed by flames. It contained two tons of coal for the winter and a large supply of kindling wood. Fire ran along the dry grass and leaves, and took hold of a neighbor's fence. The heat from the burning barn, shed and fence was so hot that the O'Learys' house, forty feet away, began to smolder. Neighbors rushed from their homes, many carrying buckets or pots of water. The sound of music and merrymaking stopped abruptly, replaced by the shouts of "FIRE!" It would be a warning cry heard thousands of times during the next thirty-one hours.

• The passage shows that everyone pitched in to help put out the fire.

• The passage shows how the fire was put out.

• The passage shows that the O’Learys were to blame for the fire.

• The passage shows how the fire started to quickly spread.

Which of these inferences about “Peg Leg” Sullivan is best supported by the text?

• He was quick to act in an emergency.

• He was easily scared.

• He was embarrassed of his wooden leg.

• He wanted to be a hero.

Which selection from the excerpt best supports the correct answer to Question 5?

• “It was while pushing himself up that Sullivan first saw the fire —a single tongue of flame shooting out the side of the O'Learys' barn.”

• “He untied the ropes of two cows, but the frightened animals did not move.”

• “Sullivan didn't hesitate a second. ‘FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!’ he shouted as loudly as he could. ”

• “It would be a warning cry heard thousands of times during the next thirty-one hours.”

Which of the following best describes why Chicago’s jerry-built buildings were dangerous in a fire?

• They had no windows or doors for people to escape from.

• They appeared to be built from stronger materials than they actually were.

  
  

• They were only halfway completed.

• They were always built in neighborhoods that had explosive buildings.

Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the correct answer to Question 7?

• “...the stone or brick exteriors hid wooden frames and floors, all topped with highly flammable tar or shingle roofs.”

• “The fancy exterior decorations on just about every building were carved from wood, then painted to look like stone or marble.”

• “The situation was worst in the middle-class and poorer districts.”

• “Wooden stables and other storage buildings were common, and trees lined the streets and filled the yards.”

To insert or place something in between or among other things

• intersperse

• ambled

• stifling

• singed

Making a person feel closed-in, or unable to breathe

• intersperse

• ambled

• stifling

• singed