73 pages • 2 hours read
Killers of the Flower Moon
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Reading Questions & Paired Texts
Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.
CHAPTERS 1-3
Reading Check
1. Which natural resource made the Osage the “wealthiest people per capita in the world”? (Chapter 1)
2. In which state is Osage County?
3. To whom did Mollie turn for help investigating her sister’s murder when the police effort failed to satisfy her?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What did the deaths of Anna Burkhart and Charles Whitehorn have in common, and why did their deaths cause interest among the community?
2. Who was Lizzie Burkhart, and how did her death contribute to the feeling of unease among the Osage people?
Paired Resource
“Killers of the Flower Moon and Scorsese’s Bride Like No Other”
- This article from The New York Times describes the unique history of bridal wear for Osage women and the care that went into replicating traditional Osage apparel for Martin Scorsese’s film version of the book. (Viewing this article may require a paid subscription.)
- The content of this article can be connected to the theme The Pull of the Past on the Present.
- How does this resource improve your understanding of Osage lifestyle? Why do you think the filmmaker chose to include authentic Osage art and wardrobe in the film?
- This brief article from PBS’s American Experience explains how the Bureau made its name fighting corruption and restoring faith in American integrity at a crucial time. It also details how J. Edgar Hoover cultivated a careful image of the “G-man.”
- The information in this resource connects to the theme The Corrupting Effect of Money.
- How did J. Edgar Hoover help restore confidence in American law and order during a time of corruption and graft? Why do you think FBI agents became popular heroes for ordinary people? Do people still feel the same excitement about the FBI?
CHAPTERS 4-7
Reading Check
1. Who was the Osage chief who sent a representative to Washington, DC, to negotiate a land deal with the government in 1906?
2. What was the suspected cause of several deaths in the Osage community in early 1922, prompting white oilman Marney McBride to travel to Washington for help?
3. What name came to be used for the rash of unexplained murders?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What did some Osage people do to avoid violence? How did Bill and Rita Smith attempt to stay safe?
2. How did the state and local officials respond to the murders, and what were the effects of their investigations on stopping the crimes?
3. What single, shocking act of violence most strongly epitomizes the terror against the Osage people, and which members were affected?
Paired Resource
- This page from the Oklahoma Historical Society explains how oil booms drew a collection of industry leaders, field hands, and others to small Oklahoma towns and the ways in which they still influence that state’s population today. It includes a 1924 video showing life on an Oklahoma oil field, including footage of the nearby Ponca tribe, which the video describes as “wealthy.”
- The information in this resource connects to the themes The Corrupting Effect of Money and The Pull of the Past on the Present.
- How do the images of life on an Oklahoma oil field change or improve your understanding of Killers of the Flower Moon? What did you notice about relations between white and Indigenous people in this video?
CHAPTERS 8-12
Reading Check
1. Which former Texas Ranger did J. Edgar Hoover tap to head the case investigating the Osage murders?
2. When the Bureau investigators looked into the murder of Anna Burkhart, what was the only piece of evidence they found?
3. Who hired Pike to suppress evidence?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What influence did the Teapot Dome Scandal have on the growing Bureau of Investigation?
2. Why did federal agents open an insurance office in Osage County?
CHAPTERS 13-18
Reading Check
1. What was the last name of the two brothers who were with Bill Smith as he was dying?
2. What crime did the inmate Burt Lawson confess to having committed?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How did Burt Lawson’s dubious confession ultimately lead to the cracking of the case?
2. What did Hale do when he learned there was a warrant out for his arrest?
3. How did Hale and Burkhart each respond to their separate interrogations, and what was the result of the questioning?
CHAPTERS 19-21
Reading Check
1. Whose unforeseen death apparently motivated Ernest Burkhart to rejoin the prosecution’s side and tell the truth about the murders?
2. What was the result of the first trial against Hale and Ramsey?
3. What position did Tom White hold for the final chapter of his career?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. How did the work of the “Cowboys” aid in repairing the Bureau’s reputation? How did J. Edgar Hoover respond to their work?
2. How did Tom White continue to show bravery and heroism, even after the end of his time investigating the Osage murders?
Paired Resource
“The Forgotten Murders of the Osage People for the Oil Beneath their Land”
- PBS News Hour chose Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI for their “Now Read This” page; here, David Grann discusses his work and shares additional photographs from his research. (Content Warning: This article contains images of the aftereffects of violence.)
- The discussion in this resource connects to the themes Anti-Indigenous Racism and Prejudice, The Corrupting Effect of Money, and The Pull of the Past on the Present.
- How did the images help you better understand the dangers facing the members of the Osage Nation? What details does the author choose to leave out of his summary?
CHAPTERS 22-26
Reading Check
1. In what year does Chapter 22 begin?
2. Whose image is on the missing panel at the Osage National Museum?
Short Answer
Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.
1. What crime does Grann investigate further while visiting Oklahoma, and what does his research seem to confirm?
2. What do the deaths of peripheral figures, such as Kathryn Red Corn’s grandfather and Charles Whitehorn, suggest about the Reign of Terror?
Recommended Next Reads
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne
- This nonfiction work tells the story of the Comanche Nation and their wars with white settlers through the family of Quanah Parker, the book’s main figure.
- Shared themes include Anti-Indigenous Racism and Prejudice.
- Shared topics include race relations between Indigenous peoples and settlers, displacement, and violence.
- Empire of the Summer Moon on SuperSummary
An Indigenous People’s History of The United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- This American Book Award-winning work tells the history of the United States from the point of view of Indigenous peoples; its goal is moving society to a more just future by acknowledging the injustices of the past.
- Shared themes include Anti-Indigenous Racism and Prejudice and The Pull of the Past on the Present.
- Shared topics include history of Indigenous people and clashes with US government.
- An Indigenous People’s History of the United States on SuperSummary
Reading Questions Answer Key
CHAPTERS 1-3
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Both Anna Burkhart and Charles Whitehorn were shot, execution-style, with the same type of gun, and both were young, wealthy owners of oil headrights, which raised suspicions of foul play. (Chapter 3)
2. Lizzie Burkhart was Mollie and Anna’s mother; she was impacted by an unidentified disease even before Anna’s murder. As the investigation into Anna’s death took place, Lizzie’s health worsened, and neither traditional medicine nor care from white doctors could save her from a death with no clear cause. (Chapter 3)
CHAPTERS 4-7
Reading Check
Short Answer
1. Some Osage people illuminated the front of their homes with electric lights to keep stalkers away. Others, like Bill and Rita Smith, moved to a more populated part of town they thought they would be safer. (Chapter 7)
2. Most of the law enforcement was corrupt; the investigators took bribes and offered no results. Some of the investigators who seemed alarmed at the violence and attempted to get help for the Osage died in extremely suspicious ways. (Chapters 4-7)
3. An unknown person planted a bomb under Bill and Rita’s Smith home. The explosion killed Rita instantly and mortally wounded Bill. (Chapter 7)
CHAPTERS 8-12
Reading Check
1. Tom White (Chapter 8)
2. They found her skull, but the bullet and coroner’s inquest records were missing. (Chapter 10)
3. William Hale (Chapter 12)
Short Answer
1. The Teapot Dome scandal revealed corruption of the Justice Department under President Harding, something the new president, Theodore Roosevelt, hoped to reverse. He therefore gave Hoover the mandate to clean up the Bureau and investigate the Osage crimes honorably. (Chapter 8)
2. The federal agents were working undercover; one of the agents was an experienced insurance salesman. (Chapter 10)
CHAPTERS 13-18
Reading Check
1. Shoun (Chapter 14)
2. He claimed he was responsible for the explosion of Bill and Rita Smith’s home, having used nitroglycerin that William Hale and Ernest Burkhart gave to him. (Chapter 18)
Short Answer
1. Even though Lawson was lying about destroying the Smiths’ home, his confession prompted the investigators to bring in Hale and Burkhart for questioning, which ultimately led to Burkhart’s confession. (Chapter 18)
2. Hale turned himself into the sheriff's office, stating, “Understand I’m wanted.” (Chapter 18)
3. Investigators put their efforts into pressuring Burkhart, who seemed more likely to confess. After hours of interrogation, Burkhart confessed that Hale was responsible for the murders of Bill and Rita Smith. (Chapter 18)
CHAPTERS 19-21
Reading Check
1. June Burkhart (Mollie and Ernest’s 4-year-old daughter) (Chapter 19)
2. A hung jury (Chapter 20)
3. Prison warden (Chapter 21)
Short Answer
1. The stellar work of the investigators distinguished the Bureau from the corrupt work of the recent Department of Justice, but Hoover did not give credit to the individuals, as they did not fit his ideal image of the clean-cut, educated investigator. (Chapter 20)
2. He treated inmates with dignity, aided in their rehabilitation, and saved the lives of children during a prison breakout and subsequent hostage situation. (Chapter 21)
CHAPTERS 22-26
Reading Check
1. 2012 (Chapter 22)
2. William Hale (Chapter 22)
Short Answer
1. He investigates the murder of WW Vaughan, who was thrown from a train as he traveled to Washington, DC. Grann’s research seems to confirm that it was committed by a banker named HG Burt. (Chapter 23)
2. These additional deaths were almost certainly murders as well, showing that there was a web of white conspirators (not just Hale) who plotted and carried out the killing of Osage citizens. (Chapters 23-24)
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