NFSI Cognitive Abilities 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A ladder truck carries 3 ground ladders: one 14 ft, one 24 ft, and one 35 ft. What is the combined length of all three ladders?
- 63 ft
- 71 ft
- 73 ft (Correct answer)
- 83 ft
Correct answer: 73 ft
14 + 24 + 35 = 73 ft.
Question 2: Which sentence is grammatically correct?
- The captain, along with his crew, were evacuated.
- The captain, along with his crew, was evacuated. (Correct answer)
- The captain along with his crew were evacuated.
- The captain along with his crew, was evacuated.
Correct answer: The captain, along with his crew, was evacuated.
'The captain' is the singular subject, so the verb must be 'was,' not 'were.'
Question 3: A tanker holds 2,500 gallons. A pumper uses water at 300 gallons per minute. How many minutes until the tanker is empty?
- 7 minutes
- 8 minutes
- 8.3 minutes (Correct answer)
- 9 minutes
Correct answer: 8.3 minutes
2,500 ÷ 300 ≈ 8.33 minutes.
Question 4: Read: 'Backdraft occurs when a smoldering fire in a oxygen-deprived space receives a sudden inflow of air.' Which action could trigger a backdraft?
- Applying water fog to the ceiling
- Opening a closed door to a sealed, smoldering room (Correct answer)
- Ventilating through a window already broken
- Pulling a charged hose to the front door
Correct answer: Opening a closed door to a sealed, smoldering room
Opening a sealed door introduces oxygen to an oxygen-deprived fire, potentially causing a backdraft.
Question 5: If 4 firefighters can complete a search of a floor in 12 minutes, how long would the same search take with 6 firefighters (assuming equal work distribution)?
- 6 minutes
- 8 minutes (Correct answer)
- 9 minutes
- 10 minutes
Correct answer: 8 minutes
Total work = 4 × 12 = 48 person-minutes; 48 ÷ 6 = 8 minutes.
Question 6: Which word means 'to make worse or more severe'?
- Mitigate
- Exacerbate (Correct answer)
- Alleviate
- Attenuate
Correct answer: Exacerbate
'Exacerbate' means to make a situation, problem, or condition worse.
Question 7: A fire station receives calls at an average of 18 calls per day. Approximately how many calls does it receive in a 30-day month?
- 480 calls
- 520 calls
- 540 calls (Correct answer)
- 560 calls
Correct answer: 540 calls
18 × 30 = 540 calls.
NFSI Cognitive Abilities 3
A ladder truck carries 3 ground ladders: one 14 ft, one 24 ft, and one 35 ft.
What is the combined length of all three ladders?