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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 was the nationality of the first group of undocumented immigrants hunted by American Border Patrol in the 1880s?

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

3. Why were there few beans to eat in Veracruz in the early 2000s?

4. What other government organization sometimes has Border Patrol vehicles pulled over for inspection?

5. Who was El Chespiro?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Who were the Yuma 14?

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

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

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

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 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

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 664 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample