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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. Who was the first white man to die on The Devil's Highway?

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

3. How did Nahum Landa know Reymundo Maruri?

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

5. The men stumbling out of the mountains in the book's introduction suffered from a medical condition; what was it?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who were the Yuma 14?

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

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

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

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

7. What was the banzai run?

8. According to Urrea, how did Operation Gatekeeper change border crossings?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Urrea describes the actions of anti-immigration and pro-immigration activists at length within The Devil's Highway. Explore Urrea's depiction of either side in the debate, focusing on his description of their activities and motives, and the tone he achieves when describing them.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Urrea uses many racial and occupational epithets over the course of The Devil's Highway, occasionally providing etymological explanations for more obscure entries. Choose three or more examples from the book, then describe their use and surrounding context. Use your findings to respond to Urrea's reflections on this practice as expressed in the afterword.

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