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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. Why does Urrea suggest it was unlikely that Border Patrol agents were responsible for the lights at Bluebird Pass?

2. Who was responsible for making sure the walkers had water on the Devil's Highway?

3. What kinds of maps did the Coyotes have?

4. How did the walkers evade the Border Patrol's drag system the first time Mendez crossed the Devil's Highway?

5. How did the men from Veracruz travel their first 2,000 miles northward?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to Urrea, what do people crossing the desert have to resort to doing "sooner or later" (126).

2. What disagreement emerges between Santos and Mendez?

3. What mistake did the Coyotes make when the men arrived at the big rock?

4. What caused the group to break apart after they pressed on without Mendez?

5. Why did Mendez tell the men to pretend that they were going to San Luis?

6. Why did the Border Patrol agents fail to recognize Mendez?

7. How does Urrea explain the low quality of budget border motels?

8. What disrupted the walkers' plans at Bluebird Pass?

9. What happened to the Coyotes after they abandoned the walkers?

10. What did the walkers discuss with their Coyotes on the morning of May 21?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Economic forces drive and support many of the events described over the course of the Devil's Highway and Urrea goes into some detail describing them. Write a paper analyzing Urrea's presentation of the significance of these forces. Use details from the text to describe the economic influences at play, interpret Urrea's analysis, and respond with your own critique or elaboration upon Urrea's thinking.

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

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.

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