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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. According to Urrea, what do Coyotes typically do before abandoning their walkers to die?

2. How many deserts were the men originally supposed to cross?

3. How old was Mendez, compared to most of the walkers?

4. Why did the walkers spend more time in the desert sun than other people making the trip?

5. According to Urrea, why do Coyotes usually reject pesos from their walkers?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. What did Mendez do to upset Rafael Temich?

3. What are the initial signs of heat stress?

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

5. How did getting lost affect the walkers' opinion of the human smugglers?

6. How did Maradona change the Coyotes' plans at the last minute?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Religious imagery and rhetoric abound in The Devil's Highway. Analyze how Urrea uses these devices to shape the text's tone and themes. Provide evidence from the text and any outside research you may require to analyze the connotative or symbolic aspects of the author's word choice and the impact they have on the book's message and emotional content.

Essay Topic 2

Urrea uses depictions of physical injury and violence in many different contexts, towards many different effects. Choose two depictions of physical injury or violence from different portions of the book. Explain each scene's narrative composition and surrounding context, then use these explanations to compare and contrast the scenes' subtext.

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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