The Great Chicago Fire Check-in

What is the genre of "The Great Chicago Fire"?

• historical fiction

• realistic fiction

• literary nonfiction

• expository text

What is the author's purpose on page 314 where the text starts?

• to persuade the reader to read the text

• to inform the reader of the topic

• to entertain the reader by telling it like a story

After he saw the first flames, Daniel Sullivan

• ran into the barn and yelled "Fire!"

• called Dennis Rogan to come help him.

• yelled "Fire" and tried to wake up the O'Leary's.

• yelled "Fire!" and then tried to free the O'Leary's animals.

How was the town's decision to build wooden sidewalks and pine-block streets several feet above the muddy earth a fire hazard?

• The wooden sidewalks and streets often fell over.

• The wooden sidewalks and streets often exploded.

• The wooden sidewalks and streets were highly flammable.

• The wooden sidewalks and streets were poorly built and difficult to walk on.

The author writes that the cries of "Fire" would be a warning cry heard thousands of times during the next thirty-one hours.

You can infer from this statement that the fire in the O'Leary's barn would

• cause a much larger fire that would affect many people throughout the city.

• burn out quickly and cause damage only to the O'Leary's property.

• result in thousands of firefighters rushing to the O'Leary's barn.

What is the author's purpose on page 318 when it starts with "Chicago in 1871 was a city ready to burn"?

• to persuade the reader that the city was flammable

• to inform the reader of the facts related to the great Chicago fire

• to entertain the reader with cool facts related to the great Chicago fire

The author explains that most buildings in Chicago in 1871 were made of wood. How does this detail support the idea that Chicago was a city ready to burn?

• Chicago grew quickly.

• Wood burns very easily.

• Wood is a popular building material.

• Bricks do not burn.

The statistics about fires in Chicago show that

• fires were becoming an increasing danger in the city.

• the danger of fire did not stop the city's growth.

• firefighters were becoming better at their work.

Why are the crowded conditions of Chicago's middle-class and poorer districts at the time important to understanding the Great Fire?

• People were easily trapped in their houses in these areas.

• Fewer firehouses were built in those districts.

• Fire quickly spread from one house to the next in these densely populated areas of Chicago.

Which words in the sentence below show a sequence of events?

"At about this time William Lee, who lived down the block from the O'Learys, went into the seventeen-month-old son's room to see why the child was crying."

• "why the child was crying"

• "who lived down the block"

• "At about this time"

• "his seventeen-month-old son's room"