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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. What piece of Border Patrol equipment does Urrea describe as a "lifesaver" (25)?

2. According to Urrea, what is the only thing Mexico does to prevent walkers from crossing the border in Sasabe?

3. What economic role did Western Union play in Mexican/American relations at the time described by Urrea in Chapter 2?

4. How did Operation Gatekeeper change the routes walkers took to cross the border?

5. Where were the Yuma 14 sent after their bodies were collected?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Urrea characterize the relationship between Border Patrol agents and politicians?

2. Who were the Yuma 14?

3. To whom does the term "Coyotes" refer?

4. Who joined Reymundo Barreda Maruri Sr. on his journey?

5. According to Urrea, what is the most sensible interpretation of the sign "USA Prohibido!" for Spanish-speakers?

6. How does the sign warning travelers in Sasabe describe the Coyotes?

7. Who is Mike F.?

8. Why were the walkers hoping to encounter Border Patrol agents, even though they were crossing without authorization?

9. Who is Ken Smith?

10. What condition were the bodies of the Yuma 14 in when they were found?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Though The Devil's Highway is a non-fiction book, in incorporates many poeticized and fictionalized passages. Choose one or more passages from the book incorporating a poetic or literary technique such as stanzas, dialogue, metaphor, personification, symbolism, or character development. Explain how the technique is used in the passage, both justifying your choice as an example of the technique specified and analyzing the effect the technique's usage has on the reader. Conclude by explaining how the use of this technique impacts the book's truthfulness.

Essay Topic 2

The main text of The Devil's Highway was published in 2004. The text of the afterword was published in 2014, allowing Urrea to reflect on the book's impact and the historical development of its subject matter. Choose one claim that Urrea makes about the trajectory of immigration politics. Use independent research and evidence from the text to support, dispute, or modify Urrea's claim.

Essay Topic 3

Urrea goes into great detail about interactions between law enforcement and border crossers, describing popular perceptions of both groups and comparing them to his personal findings. Write an essay using The Devil's Highway as a basis to analyze the impact of law enforcement on the safety of border crossing. Conclude by suggesting which policies described within the book seem to have the best outcomes for human safety.

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