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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 sort of bullets do Wellton Border Patrol agents carry?

2. To what does the term "coffin-load" refer?

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

4. What was the name of Don Moi's boss?

5. What is the official name of the case regarding the journey that led the Yuma 14 to their deaths?

Short Essay Questions

1. From what state did most of the Yuma 14 come?

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

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

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

5. Why do some guides feed their walkers diet pills?

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

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

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

9. Who is Mike F.?

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

Urrea writes in the afterword, "The border can be seen either as a hideous scare that binds two warring cultures together.... Or it can be seen as an imaginary line that unites overlapping human tribes" (234). Write an essay comparing and contrasting these two visions of the border. Cite passages in the text that correspond to either vision, analyzing Urrea's rhetoric and choice of details to determine which vision is expressed.

Essay Topic 2

The journey of the Wellton 26 was undertaken entirely by people identified within the text as male. Write an essay analyzing the role that gender plays in Urrea's depiction of this deadly crossing. Use evidence from the text and any outside research you may require to analyze how codes of masculinity influence the walkers' motives, belief, or behavior.

Essay Topic 3

Despite writing predominately in English, Urrea employs specific Spanish terms throughout the Devil's Highway, such as "tinaja" (7) and "polleros" (60). Choose one or more Spanish terms used within the text and analyze the effect they have in establishing the book's setting and/or themes.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 609 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample