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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. Where did Cantu's mother work for almost her entire career?

2. On page 76, what does Cantu's mother tell him she is worried about apart from his safety on his job?

3. Why is Morales in the hospital on page 65?

4. Why does Cantu excuse himself from Morales's hospital room and not return?

5. On page 70, what does Cantu see on his way home from working the swing shift that unsettles him?

Short Essay Questions

1. What do some of the other Border Patrol agents suggest might help combat the smell of dead bodies when going out to recover them in the desert?

2. What contradictory symbols and feelings does the wolf in Cantu's dream at the beginning of the book convey?

3. How did the two young sisters who were brought in to the Border Patrol station alone react to their processing and questioning?

4. What does Cantu's mother tell him about her feelings looking back on her career as a National Parks worker?

5. Why do Cantu and other Border Patrol agents destroy any of the belongings and provisions they find in the desert?

6. How was the modern-day boundary between the U.S. and Mexico first defined?

7. What does Cantu feel when he goes to visit Morales in the hospital following his motorcycle accident?

8. What does the dentist who works on Cantu's mouth surmise about his problem grinding his teeth?

9. What does Adam say when Cantu asks him why his town is called the vampire town?

10. What do Cantu and his mother always do as a tradition on Christmas Eve together?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Cantu tells his mother he has decided to become a Border Patrol officer, she is apprehensive and honest with him about her many misgivings surrounding this choice. Write an essay analyzing Cantu's mother's reasons against him joining the Border Patrol forces.

Essay Topic 2

How would you describe Cantu's feelings about his Mexican heritage? Do his feelings about his own background change during the course of the book? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

When Cantu is transferred to a desk job in intelligence at the Border Patrol Office in Tucson, Arizona, he has a difficult time adjusting to the work. Write an essay analyzing Cantu's feelings about the change in his job duties and why it is so difficult for him to transfer from field work to desk work.

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