View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What visions of migrants does Cantu describe sometimes seeing in his nightmares on page 34?

2. What does one of the Border Patrol agents bring to the young immigrant sisters on page 51, hoping it will make them feel better?

3. How long does Cantu spend in training in his Border Patrol unit on page 35?

4. On page 77, why is Cantu so frustrated that he loses the trail of the 20 or so immigrants he is tracking in the desert?

5. What is Cantu's colleague Cole's nickname?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is one main reason why Cantu's mother does not want him to become a Border Patrol agent?

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

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

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

5. Why is Cantu so nervous when he comes home from work late one night to see a man lurking in the dark on his street?

6. Who did Cantu's mother name him after and what was his namesake known for?

7. What is Cantu's impression of the people and atmosphere in Cuidad Juarez when the book opens?

8. What do Morales and Cantu see in the night sky that leaves an impression on them during one of their patrols together?

9. Why do some of the agents at the Border Patrol station call Cole "Black Death"?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

What does Cantu's discussion about the rampant femicide in Mexico reveal about the culture in that country, and how does it help to explain some of the reasons for the increase in immigrants trying to cross the Mexican/U.S. border illegally? Write an essay explaining your answer, citing specific references to the text to support your conclusions.

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.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 876 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample