Question

read this excerpt from the great fire.

when william lee reached golls drugstore, he was gasping for air and frantic. in a breathless voice, lee demanded the key to the alarm box that was mounted on the outside of the store. bruno goll refused to hand it over, insisting that a fire truck had already passed.

lee had no time to argue with goll. he was too concerned about the safety of his family, so he hurried back to them almost immediately. he got there just in time to see the fire taking hold of his neighbors shed and fence, while the breeze blew a rain fire on his property. two things were very clear to lee: first, despite what goll had said, no fire engines had arrived, and, second, his house was about to catch fire.

why was william lee frantic and breathless when he first arrived at golls drugstore?

he was angry at the owner for refusing to sound the alarm and for lying about the fire engines.
he was confused about who had informed the firefighters of the fire and why there were trucks driving by.
he knew there was a fire burning near his home, and he wanted to sound the alarm as quickly as possible.
he knew that the fire would be massive and firefighters would not be able to control the flames.

Explanation:

Analyze the question and excerpt

The question asks why William Lee was frantic and breathless when he first arrived at Goll's drugstore.

Evaluate the text evidence

According to the excerpt:

• Lee arrived "gasping for air and frantic" and demanded the key to the alarm box mounted outside the store.
• He was "too concerned about the safety of his family, so he hurried back to them almost immediately."
• He saw the fire taking hold of his neighbor's property and knew his own house was about to catch fire.
• This indicates he ran to the drugstore because he knew a fire was burning near his home and wanted to sound the alarm as quickly as possible.

Compare with the options

• Option 1: He was angry at the owner... (Incorrect; this happened after he arrived, not why he arrived breathless).
• Option 2: He was confused... (Incorrect; not supported by the text).
• Option 3: He knew there was a fire burning near his home, and he wanted to sound the alarm as quickly as possible. (Correct; matches his motivation for running to the drugstore to get the alarm key).
• Option 4: He knew that the fire would be massive... (Incorrect; too speculative compared to his immediate concern for his family and sounding the alarm).

Answer:

• He was angry at the owner for refusing to sound the alarm and for lying about the fire engines.
• He was confused about who had informed the firefighters of the fire and why there were trucks driving by.
• He knew there was a fire burning near his home, and he wanted to sound the alarm as quickly as possible. (Correct answer)
• He knew that the fire would be massive and firefighters would not be able to control the flames.