Part A/Part B Question
Part A: How does the author’s use of a cause-effect structure most impact the text?
A. It emphasizes how the tragedy affected the residents and government of Boston.
B. It helps readers understand the precise causes that led to the fire and loss of life in the nightclub.
C. It helps readers understand why hospitals were overwhelmed with patients after the fire.
D. It contributes to the idea that the tragedy was a turning point in safety reforms for the city of Boston.
Part A: D
Which two sentences from the text describe how the layout of the Cocoanut Grove building contributed to the number of people who died in the fire?
A. “It was a tropically themed club with a lounge and kitchen in the basement and a large ballroom and stage on the main floor.” (paragraph 2)
B. “The quick attempts to put it out proved fruitless, and the fire spread rapidly up the stairs and into the crowded ballroom.” (paragraph 3)
C. “For one, the club had a large revolving door that made it difficult for panicked people to exit.” (paragraph 5)
D. “Making matters worse, those exits that did remain had drapes and furniture blocking the doors that quickly caught on fire and prevented escape.” (paragraph 5) E. “Officials in the city determined that the disaster was preventable and wanted to make buildings around the city safer through new building codes.” (paragraph 6)
C, D
Based on details in the text, how did the Cocoanut Grove fire impact the city of Boston’s building codes? A. The fire convinced government officials to put building codes in place to avoid another disaster.
B. The fire revealed that most buildings in Boston had been ignoring previous building codes.
C. The fire caused the Boston government to implement building codes that other cities had designed.
D. The fire demonstrated that even strict building codes are unable to prevent a major disaster.
A
How does paragraph 2 contribute to the overall meaning of the text?
A. It describes how the time of year contributed to the fire in the club.
B. It explains the reasons why building codes were changed after the fire.
C. It supports the inference that the club’s popularity made the tragedy more deadly.
D. It shows that the club’s location was a dangerous place to visit during wartime
C
Part B Which sentence from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “Whether it was the match or the bulb that triggered it will never be known. Within minutes, though, the artificial tree had gone up in flames.” (paragraph 3)
B. “People with all manner of burn and smoke injuries were rushed to hospitals around the city.” (paragraph 4)
C. “Outside of the hospitals, the police and firefighters that investigated the blaze worked hard to find out who and what was responsible.” (paragraph 5)
D. “Officials in the city determined that the disaster was preventable and wanted to make buildings around the city safer through new building codes.” (paragraph 6)
Part B: D
Select two phrases from paragraph 1 of the text that support the inference that the Cocoanut Grove fire led to some positive results.
A. “It is a sad reality …”
B. “... great changes often emerge from great tragedies.”
C. “... a famous nightclub went up in flames in late autumn of 1942.”
D. “... the deaths it caused devastated the residents of the city.”
E. “However, it also marked a turning point ...”
B, E