Question

read this excerpt from the great fire.

the fire had begun near the corner of de koven and jefferson and quickly fanned out thanks to increasingly gusty winds. one tongue traveled north up jefferson, while the other headed east toward lake michigan. there was no way firefighters from two engines could contain a wind-driven fire with such a wide front. still, they did their best.

two men hauled the cumbersome canvas hose as close to the flames as possible and aimed a stream of water at the burning building. the water hissed and boiled when it struck the burning wood, sending up a vapor of white steam.

according to the excerpt, what caused the fire to spread so quickly?

• the gusty winds
• the canvas hose
• the white steam
• the firefighters

Explanation:

Analyze the question and text

The question asks: "According to the excerpt, what caused the fire to spread so quickly?"

The excerpt states:
"The fire had begun near the corner of De Koven and Jefferson and quickly fanned out thanks to increasingly gusty winds."

Identify the cause of the rapid spread

The text explicitly attributes the quick fanning out (spreading) of the fire to "increasingly gusty winds."

Match with the given options

• "the gusty winds" matches the text directly.
• "the canvas hose", "the white steam", and "the firefighters" are mentioned in other contexts but did not cause the fire to spread.

Answer:

• the gusty winds (Correct answer)
• the canvas hose
• the white steam
• the firefighters