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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. How was the work of Coyotes gendered in banda subculture?

2. From what is the term "tonks," used in reference to border crossers by Border Patrol agents, derived?

3. What was carried by the apparition of a white woman who appeared before the warriors of the O'Odham in 1699?

4. How many dead men did Border Patrol agents discover during their banzai run?

5. Which operatives worked at the bottom of the human smuggling hierarchy?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who oversaw the human smuggling operation that led the Yuma 14 into the desert?

3. What is done with the dead at the consulate building before they are prepared for burial?

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

5. What were economic conditions like when the Yuma 14 lived in Veracruz?

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

7. Who were the Yuma 14?

8. According to Urrea, what was the most scandalous item provided in the survival kits that the Mexican government created for walkers?

9. What is Desolation?

10. What techniques do Border Patrol signcutters use to locate walkers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Many of the central subjects in the Devil's Highway have some level of involvement with organized crime and Urrea devotes significant space to describing their culture and methods. Write an essay analyzing the cultural codes and common practices of the gangsters described within the book, using evidence from the text to explain how these codes and practices ultimately led to the death of the Yuma 14.

Essay Topic 2

The governments of the United States and Mexico both have their foundations in European colonization. How is that history reflected within the pages of The Devil's Highway? Conduct your own research to select a working definition of colonialism. Explore interactions within the text that reflect your definition of colonialism and conclude by interpreting the role colonialism plays.

Essay Topic 3

High rates of immigration can bring demographic change, revealing ethnic tensions. Write an essay exploring Urrea's rhetoric regarding race and ethnicity, tracing the relationship between racial attitudes and immigration policy.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 668 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample