Question

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Explanation:

Analyze the excerpt

The excerpt from The Great Fire describes fireman Dorsey racing to a signal box to sound an alarm. It details a critical error: "he had forgotten to pull down the lever four times, a special signal that would have made it a true second alarm." Because of this mistake, the operators at the Courthouse assumed it was just a repeat signal for the original fire and "failed to call out more engines." Using Reading Comprehension, we can see this passage focuses on a specific human error and its immediate consequence (not sending more fire engines).

Evaluate the options

Let's evaluate each option using Textual Evidence:

• Option 1: "It illustrates how many mistakes firefighter Dorsey made..." The text only details one specific mistake (forgetting to pull the lever four times), not "many mistakes."
• Option 2: "It demonstrates how the city's fire alarm system and signal boxes worked." While it mentions pulling a lever, the focus of the narrative is on the failure and its consequences, not a technical demonstration of the system.
• Option 3: "It describes one of the key mistakes that prevented the fire from being extinguished sooner." This directly matches the text. Dorsey's mistake led to the Courthouse failing to call out more engines, which delayed the arrival of necessary help to put out the fire.
• Option 4: "It highlights the fact that Bruno Goll was responsible..." The text only mentions Goll's drugstore as the location of the signal box; it does not blame him for the fire.

Select the correct answer

The third option is the most accurate because it directly connects Dorsey's mistake of not sending the correct second alarm signal to the failure of dispatching more fire engines, which is a key factor in why the Great Chicago Fire spread so rapidly and was not extinguished sooner.

Answer:

• It illustrates how many mistakes firefighter Dorsey made during the course of the fire.
• It demonstrates how the city's fire alarm system and signal boxes worked.
• It describes one of the key mistakes that prevented the fire from being extinguished sooner. (Correct answer)
• It highlights the fact that Bruno Goll was responsible for the fire and stopped it from being put out.