10 questions
What did the precinct motto 'eight and straight' mean?
stay at home for eight hours and go straight to work
work eight hours and go straight home
drink eight cups of coffee and go straight to the crime scene
work for eight days straight with no break
What can we learn about Mother Fletcher from the appearance of her apartment?
She liked to keep everything neat, clean, and organized.
She had a lot of things, but she was poor, so she must have been a criminal.
We can learn how old she is from the appearance of her apartment.
We know that she is not trustworthy from the appearance of her apartment.
Police officers in Harlem try to keep their work and home separate. What did O'Brien do that supports this statement best?
He helped her to call an ambulance when she was sick instead of taking her to the hospital himself.
He told his daughter, Meaghan, that they would send her a Christmas present.
He didn't wear the green cardigan that she knitted for him.
He didn't want to go eat Christmas dinner at Mother Fletcher's apartment.
Why did O'Brien keep asking Mother Fletcher questions about events that had happened in the past?
He was trying to find out her age.
He was helping her to study for her history midterm test.
He wanted her opinion about events that had happened through history.
He was making sure that she wasn't losing her memory in her old age.
Did Mother Fletcher think that O'Brien and his family would come to Christmas dinner at her home?
No, she didn't think they would come. She was just asking him to be polite because he had helped her.
Yes, she definitely thought they would come because O'Brien said he would come, and she thought he was an honest man.
She thought they might come, so she set the table and prepared a big meal.
No, she didn't think they would come, so she went to a relative's house for Christmas dinner.
What lesson does the reader learn from this story?
Harlem is a poor place with high crime rates that should be avoided at all times.
Just because someone is poor, doesn't mean that they are a criminal that can't be trusted.
Police officers in Harlem work hard but they don't like spending their free time in the neighborhood.
You shouldn't judge people by where they live. Kind people can live in poor neighborhoods.
Why did O'Brien drive his family through the worst streets of Harlem to get to Mother Fletcher's place?
He wanted them to see how bad Harlem was and to get them to change their mind about spending Christmas Day there.
He got lost along the way and drove along them by accident.
He was making sure that there was no crime happening on those streets, if there was, he'd take care of it.
He was trying to waste time by driving the long way to Mother Fletcher's place, that way they would have to spend less time with her.
Why did Kathy get upset with O'Brien when he told her that Mother Fletcher had invited them for Christmas dinner?
She was upset because he told Mother Fletcher they would go, but he didn't plan to really go.
Kathy was upset because he told Mother Fletcher they would go, and she didn't want to go.
She was upset because she was worried that they would get robbed if they went to Harlem on Christmas Day.
She was upset as she had already finished her Christmas shopping, but now she would need to buy another gift for Mother Fletcher.
Why did O'Brien have to put money in the precinct fund?
It was almost Christmas time, so all the officers had to put some money towards the precinct Christmas party.
Mother Fletcher had made him a sweater. Receiving gifts was seen as 'taking graft', which was not allowed. He had to put money in the fund to make up for it.
He was a generous guy who liked to donate money for charity, especially if it helped people poorer than himself.
The precinct fund helped people in Harlem to get taxis. He didn't want to have to call an ambulance for Mother Fletcher again.
What is the setting of Mother Fletcher's Gift?
Harlem, USA, about 100 years ago
Queens, New York, about 10 years ago
New York in the recent past
Harlem and The Bronx in the recent past