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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The men stumbling out of the mountains in the book's introduction suffered from a medical condition; what was it?
(a) Influenza.
(b) Lupus.
(c) Hyperthermia.
(d) Osteoporosis.

2. What country did the walkers leave during their border crossing?
(a) The United States of America.
(b) Veracruz.
(c) Mexico.
(d) Canada.

3. What was the first white man who died on the Devil's Highway doing when he passed?
(a) Fighting a local soldier.
(b) Wandering the desert.
(c) Riding a dangerous horse.
(d) Trying to kill a dog.

4. Why did the Border Patrol agents call Mendez "Rooster Boy"?
(a) He was trying to catch and eat a rooster when they intercepted him.
(b) They started off calling him "Hen Boy" but he complained that it was emasculating.
(c) He had a distinctive red forelock.
(d) He would scream every morning at the crack of dawn.

5. Who was El Chespiro?
(a) A low-ranking Coyote who was abandoned on The Devil's Highway.
(b) A notorious Border Patrol agent, rumored to have killed twenty men.
(c) A dog catcher from Sonoita, beloved by the community for his easy-going smile and simple ways.
(d) One of the heads of the smuggling operation that brought the Yuma 14 into the desert.

6. Where did Jesus AKA Mendez live before coming to Sonora?
(a) Chicago.
(b) Veracruz.
(c) Guadalajara.
(d) Arizona.

7. According to Urrea, which group would the agents at Wellton say could best describe "the real border world" (23)?
(a) Border Patrol newcomers.
(b) Border Patrol veterans.
(c) Coyotes.
(d) Walkers.

8. What piece of Border Patrol equipment does Urrea describe as a "lifesaver" (25)?
(a) Their pepper spray.
(b) Their guns.
(c) The air conditioning on their trucks.
(d) Their batons.

9. How did Nahum Landa know Reymundo Maruri?
(a) They were on the same baseball team.
(b) They were brothers-in-law.
(c) They once played opposite each other in a battle of the bands.
(d) Nahum worked in Reymundo's factory.

10. What was carried by the apparition of a white woman who appeared before the warriors of the O'Odham in 1699?
(a) A cluster of snakes.
(b) A cross.
(c) A black iron bell.
(d) A flaming sword.

11. How was the work of Coyotes gendered in banda subculture?
(a) Coyotes were seen as very masculine.
(b) Coyotes were known for having progressive ideas of gender and sexuality.
(c) The work of Coyotes had no gender connotation.
(d) Coyotes were seen as feminine.

12. Why were there few beans to eat in Veracruz in the early 2000s?
(a) The bean crops native to Mexico had gone extinct.
(b) The pope had decreed that beans were improper according to Leviticus.
(c) A great fire had wiped out most of the bean shipments.
(d) Consumers in the United States drove bean prices to unreasonable levels.

13. What was historically significant about the group of men that Mike F. discovered?
(a) They were the first all-male border crossing in recorded history.
(b) They were the first border crossing to feature any survivors at all.
(c) They were the first border crossing to be conducted without the help of organized crime.
(d) They were part of the largest die-off in the history of the border's crossings.

14. What reason did Mendez give for getting into the smuggling business?
(a) It was the best way to meet women.
(b) He claimed to be a freedom fighter resisting the American government.
(c) It was the only way to make a decent wage.
(d) He hoped it would help him make contacts as a musician.

15. From what is the term "tonks," used in reference to border crossers by Border Patrol agents, derived?
(a) It is a Harry Potter reference.
(b) It is a sly reference to the "s-knot," used by early Border Patrol agents to tie up border crossers in the days before handcuffs.
(c) It is an abbreviation of the phrase "ton of cussing."
(d) It is the sound of a flashlight breaking over a human head.

Short Answer Questions

1. What term did the media use for the men who died on the journey described within the book?

2. Which direction did people in Veracruz wish to go, according to Urrea in Chapter 2?

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

4. What does the suffix "-tepec" mean, according to Urrea?

5. What was the name of the supervisory officer in Wellton station at the time of the book's events?

(see the answer keys)

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