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 does Jung say it means if one dreams of a savage animal?

2. What does the sicario say his dreams made him realize about his work and private lives?

3. Which war reporter does Cantu mention on page 150 as having examined the idea of "moral injury?

4. What does the U.S. Marshal give to Diego, Jose's youngest son, outside the courtroom?

5. According to writer Rivera Garza, what does fear do?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Cantu tell Hayward he will likely stop working for Border Patrol on page 157?

2. What Greek story does Cantu mention and compare to some of the tragedies he sees playing out in the desert through his job?

3. What does Cantu do to try to help Jose when he has trouble with U.S. immigration after leaving the U.S. to visit his dying mother in Mexico?

4. What does the sicario, or hit man for a cartel, tell Charles Bowden was an important symbolic part of disposing of the bodies of the people he killed?

5. What was Cantu's original birth name, and why did Cantu's mother change his name?

6. How does Cantu's uncle in Santa Fe feel about the work he has done his whole life?

7. Cantu's mother was surprised when she finally met her long-estranged father. Why?

8. On page 135, what does Cantu say became the hallmark of Ciudad Juarez sometime around the mid-1990s?

9. What does Beto tell Cantu he thinks is a harbinger of death in his family on page 120?

10. What does Beto tell Cantu about his background and his aspirations for his career with Border Patrol?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does Cantu's experience with looking after his co-worker Beto's dog relate to his experiences as a Border Patrol agent? How does Cantu end up feeling when he discovers Beto's dog is responsible for nearly killing a neighbor's dog when Beto's dog accidentally gets loose? Write an essay explaining your answer.

Essay Topic 2

At different points in the book, Cantu listens to and trades insults and stories in graphic language with his colleagues at Border Patrol, who are all men. Write an essay analyzing what the sometimes crude and sexual language they use reveals about the work culture in the Border Patrol sector.

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay discussing Cantu's reasons for finally deciding to leave his work as a Border Patrol agent. At the end of the book, how do you think Cantu ultimately feels about his years working for the Border Patrol?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 872 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample