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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was the sign reading, "USA Prohibido!" (57) confusing to Spanish-speakers?
(a) The sign's color scheme was difficult to read.
(b) "Usa" in Spanish means "to use," and does not connote "The United States of America."
(c) The sign was blown upside-down after a bad storm.
(d) The sign was decorated with an inexplicable painting of a crab.

2. What state were the walkers discovered in?
(a) Florida.
(b) Oklahoma.
(c) Arizona.
(d) Ohio.

3. What does "OTM" stand for when used by Border Patrol agents?
(a) "Ogle This Money."
(b) "Onward, To March."
(c) "Over The Mesa."
(d) "Other Than Mexicans."

4. Urrea describes an apparition of a black head in the dirt as seen by an unnamed traveler; what did the black head do upon seeing the traveler?
(a) The black head laughed.
(b) The black head begged for water.
(c) The black head warned him to leave.
(d) The black head screamed in terror.

5. When do most border crossings from Mexico take place?
(a) Between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.
(b) Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
(c) Between 3 p.m. and 11 p.m.
(d) Border crossings do not take place at any particular time.

6. Who was Jesus AKA Mendez AKA Rooster Boy?
(a) A walker.
(b) The third Cercas brother.
(c) A rogue Border Patrol agent.
(d) A Coyote.

7. What is Aztlan?
(a) The code name for one of the walkers accompanying Mendez.
(b) A mysterious folkloric creature residing in the Devil's Highway.
(c) The traditional home of the Aztecs, said to be in the American Southwest.
(d) A well loved brand of Tejano beer.

8. What is Hotel Rio Colorado?
(a) A fictional place from a popular but haunting Mexican ballad.
(b) A well-beloved and high-class chain of Mexican hotels.
(c) A "mecca" (80) of civilization lying between several different locations.
(d) A sarcastic term for a field of skeletons on the Devil's Highway.

9. What country did the walkers immigrate to?
(a) The United States of America.
(b) Honduras.
(c) Portugal.
(d) Canada.

10. What term is used as a code name for indigenous peoples in the region?
(a) Walker.
(b) Oaxaca.
(c) Migra.
(d) Coyote.

11. What was the location of the Border Patrol station that led rescue efforts for the men lost on the Devil's Highway?
(a) Wellton.
(b) Houston.
(c) Tulsa.
(d) Tallahassee.

12. What is the official name of the case regarding the journey that led the Yuma 14 to their deaths?
(a) The Devil's Case.
(b) Operation Broken Promise.
(c) The Mendez File.
(d) The Great Border Tragedy.

13. Why do Border Patrol agents create "drags" (28) running east-west along the desert?
(a) To fill time on long, boring days.
(b) To keep the desert sand looking nice and smooth.
(c) To reduce glare from the setting sun.
(d) To force north-bound border crossers to leave tracks.

14. To what does the term "coffin-load" refer?
(a) A style of loading one's pistol while lying down with one's arms crossed.
(b) People who cross the border cheaply by riding in locked car trunks.
(c) The reduced payment a Coyote receives when one of his walkers dies in the desert.
(d) The pittance paid by immigrants who cannot afford to pay for a vehicle to take them across the border.

15. Which of the following creatures is NOT said to reside in Desolation?
(a) The evil witch, Ho'ok.
(b) The good witch, Glenda.
(c) The coyote-spirit, Ban.
(d) Elder Brother, I'itoi.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do so-called "foamers" (29) wear foam blocks as they cross through the desert?

2. What economic role did Western Union play in Mexican/American relations at the time described by Urrea in Chapter 2?

3. What hidden tool does Urrea describe that allows Border Patrol agents to secretly track the movements of border crossers?

4. What piece of Border Patrol equipment does Urrea describe as a "lifesaver" (25)?

5. What was the name for the stretch of desert that the walkers found themselves lost in?

(see the answer keys)

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