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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 collapsing commodity most damaged the economy of Veracruz?

2. When do most border crossings from Mexico take place?

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

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

5. What is Aztlan?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Who were the Wellton 26?

3. Who is Mike F.?

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

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

6. Who was Don Moi?

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

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

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

10. Who was Melchior Diaz?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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.

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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This section contains 619 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample