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

2. When did large-scale fighting start in the Mexican Revolution?

3. What kind of job does Cantu work in on page 167?

4. What does one woman being sentenced in immigration court tell the judge that prompts him to say someone will see her at the detention facility?

5. What had just happened in Cantu's family right before he and his mother traveled to Mexico for the first time?

Short Essay Questions

1. What does the U.S. Marshal from the courtroom give to one of Jose's sons that surprises Jose's defense attorney?

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

4. What does the woman whose feet Cantu bandages tell him about himself pn page 154?

5. What did Mexican president Felipe Calderon base his campaign on?

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

7. What does Cantu write that Carl Jung said the meaning of a savage animal in a dream was?

8. Who asks Cantu to help Jose when it becomes clear he is having trouble getting back into the U.S.?

9. How does Jose and his family come to be connected with his private defense attorney, Elizabeth Green?

10. 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?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

When Morales and Cantu arrest two men from Oaxaca for crossing the border illegally, the migrants share their homemade delicacies brought across the border, including grasshoppers, jerky, and mezcal with Morales and Cantu. Write an essay analyzing the tensions and contradictions Cantu feels towards the work he is compelled to perform as a Border Patrol officer and his feelings of sympathy towards some of the people he meets crossing the border.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

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.

(see the answer keys)

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