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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When Pike, the private detective from Kansas, revealed that he had not really been hired to solve Anna's murder, what did he reveal his true purpose to be?

2. At the start of William Hale and John Ramsey's trial, who does William Hale's lawyer ask to have ejected from the courtroom?

3. When the gas station worker revealed to the undercover operative that she knew who had set William Hale's fields on fire, whom did she name as the culprit?

4. Who did Pike claim had hired him to perform his required task?

5. A government study estimated that prior to 1925, how much money had been stolen from adult Osage wards by their appointed white guardians?

Short Essay Questions

1. What emotions did Tom White feel upon beginning his interrogation of William Hale?

2. What does the author mean when he describes Mollie Burkhart during the trial, saying that she was "cast out from the two worlds that she'd always straddled" (202)?

3. How were the Texas Rangers viewed differently by white Texans than they were viewed by people of color?

4. To what plan is the author referring when he states, "the plan was so brazen, so sinister, that it was hard to fathom" (162)?

5. What does the author consider to be the most damning evidence that Mollie's illness was being caused by poison?

6. What did Tom White's investigation into the system of Osage guardianship reveal?

7. What was the reaction of the public to the news of how deep the conspiracy against the Osage had actually gone?

8. How did the media portray Mollie Burkhart during the trial of Ernest Burkhart and William Hale?

9. To whom does Chapter 13's title refer in its moniker A Traitor to His Blood?

10. What turned out to be the true events leading up to the bombing of the Smiths' home?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss David Grann's decision to include a variety of photographs within the text. What purpose did he have when choosing and including these images? Back up your strong, specific claim about the author's use of photographs with concrete details from the images he includes in the book.

Essay Topic 2

Many instances of irony are included in the narrative of Killers of the Flower Moon. Find three instances of irony within the book and discuss each instance's significance and its connection to the book's overall themes.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the ways in which Tom White and Mollie Burkhart were both struggling to adapt to a cultural transition within the events of the narrative. Compare and contrast the author's depiction of each person and discuss how the book's themes are displayed within the characterizations of these two real people from history.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,300 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample