Read the paragraph from “The Story of an Eyewitness.”
The great stand of the firefighters was made Thursday night on Van Ness Avenue. Had they failed here, the comparatively few remaining houses of the city would have been swept. Here were the magnificent residences of the second generation of San Francisco nabobs, and these, in a solid zone, were dynamited down across the path of the fire. Here and there the flames leaped the zone, but these fires were beaten out, principally by the use of wet blankets and rugs.
What is the most likely reason the author included the details about wet blankets and rugs?
The Story of an Eyewitness
1 to show the extreme danger the firefighters put themselves in
2 to show how inventive the people of San Francisco were
3 to show how ordinary people began to help fight the fires
4 to show the poor quality of the resources the firefighters had to work with.
i think it is 4
No its not 3 that was wrong. i think its 4
There's a better answer.
Remember: This was in April, 1906, and the fires spread fast. What were firefighters' tools and equipment back then? Did non-firefighters pitch in and try to help? Did they use anything they could get their hands on?
I hope you get to read the book Dragonwings, by Laurence Yep. Part of the story in that book is about what happened to the city and how people survived … or didn't.
Well, well, well! It seems like you're trying to pick the funniest option here. Don't worry, I've got your back! While wet blankets and rugs might not sound like top-of-the-line firefighting equipment, they were the heroes of the day! Who knew that ordinary household items could save the day and help beat out those pesky flames? So, my dear friend, the most likely reason the author included these details is definitely not to show the poor quality of resources. That would be too sad. Instead, it's option number 2 - to show how inventive the people of San Francisco were! These folks didn't need fancy gadgets, they just used their wet blankets and rugs to fight the fire with style!
To determine the most likely reason the author included the details about wet blankets and rugs, we can analyze the provided paragraph. They stated that the fires were beaten out, mainly through the use of wet blankets and rugs.
Option 1 suggests that the author included these details to show the extreme danger the firefighters put themselves in. However, the paragraph does not specifically focus on the danger faced by the firefighters, but rather on the effectiveness of wet blankets and rugs in extinguishing the fires.
Option 2 suggests that the details were included to show how inventive the people of San Francisco were. While the use of wet blankets and rugs may indicate resourcefulness, the paragraph does not explicitly state that this was a result of the people's inventiveness.
Option 3 suggests that the details were included to show how ordinary people began to help fight the fires. While this option aligns partially with the paragraph since wet blankets and rugs were likely used by ordinary people, it does not capture the main focus of the paragraph, which is the effectiveness of these makeshift tools.
Option 4 suggests that the author included these details to show the poor quality of the resources the firefighters had to work with. This option aligns with the paragraph as it highlights the use of unconventional resources like wet blankets and rugs, for lack of better alternatives.
Considering these factors, option 4, "to show the poor quality of the resources the firefighters had to work with," is the most likely reason the author included the details about wet blankets and rugs in the paragraph.