Question 4 • 8th Grade ELA Q1 Grade Recovery (2023-2024) K. Williams ELWM Q1
Read this excerpt from The Great Fire.As for Goll, he claimed later at the official inquiry into the fire that he had waited for Lee to leave and then turned in the alarm. Goll also insisted he turned in a second alarm when another man appeared ten minutes later to announce that the fire was spreading rapidly. Whether Goll lied about sending the alarms or whether the alarm box failed to work will never be known. What is clear, is that no alarm was recorded at the central alarm office in the Courthouse at the point when the fire was still containable.
Answer
A
by explaining the consequences Goll faced for lying about sounding the alarm and alerting the courthouse
B
by explaining how the delay to sound the alarm slowed the firefighter's response
C
by highlighting each of the mistakes that were made by people during the course of the fire
D
by highlighting the fact that Goll did sound the alarm, but it never went off at the central office
Explanation
The excerpt emphasizes that no alarm was recorded while the fire was still containable. This suggests the firefighters were not alerted in time, so their response was delayed and the fire had a chance to spread. Choice B best explains the effect of the delayed alarm; the excerpt does not establish whether Goll actually sounded it.
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