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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. Which of the Coyotes died when the last two Coyotes abandoned the walkers?

2. What does Maradona do that surprised Mendez on the morning of his journey with the Yuma 14?

3. What structure did the walkers have to cross to get into America?

4. Who was the "bad-toothed scrapper" (85) that joined Mendez on the walk through the Devil's Highway?

5. What sign of civilization did the walkers find before meeting Mike F.?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why did the Cercas gang like working with brothers?

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

4. What form of payment did Mendez insist on receiving?

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

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

7. How does Urrea describe Reymundo Sr.'s treatment of his son?

8. What happens to the expedition led by Santos?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

As the lone surviving Coyote from the trip, Mendez serves as a central figure within The Devil's Highway. Urrea offers multiple competing interpretations of Mendez's motives, behavior and personality. Choose one major event involving Mendez, comparing and contrasting the different interpretations of his behavior that Urrea offers. Conclude by suggesting which interpretation seems ultimately more convincing and stating your reasons why.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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