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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. According to Urrea, what is the only thing Mexico does to prevent walkers from crossing the border in Sasabe?

2. The men stumbling out of the mountains in the book's introduction suffered from a medical condition; what was it?

3. What country did the walkers leave during their border crossing?

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

5. Why would Coyotes sometimes feed diet pills to walkers?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who was Don Moi?

2. Who were the Wellton 26?

3. What is Desolation?

4. Why do some guides feed their walkers diet pills?

5. To whom does the term "Coyotes" refer?

6. Who is Ken Smith?

7. According to Urrea, how did Operation Gatekeeper change border crossings?

8. Why were the walkers hoping to encounter Border Patrol agents, even though they were crossing without authorization?

9. According to Urrea, what was the most scandalous item provided in the survival kits that the Mexican government created for walkers?

10. Who oversaw the human smuggling operation that led the Yuma 14 into the desert?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Economic forces drive and support many of the events described over the course of the Devil's Highway and Urrea goes into some detail describing them. Write a paper analyzing Urrea's presentation of the significance of these forces. Use details from the text to describe the economic influences at play, interpret Urrea's analysis, and respond with your own critique or elaboration upon Urrea's thinking.

Essay Topic 2

Religious imagery and rhetoric abound in The Devil's Highway. Analyze how Urrea uses these devices to shape the text's tone and themes. Provide evidence from the text and any outside research you may require to analyze the connotative or symbolic aspects of the author's word choice and the impact they have on the book's message and emotional content.

Essay Topic 3

When describing the activities of American border patrol agents, Urrea is careful to detail the numerous conflicting political demands the border agents must navigate. Choose two different criticisms of border patrol that Urrea presents within The Devil's Highway. Analyze the nature of each criticism and the demand it places on border patrol. Conclude by explaining what compromises or conflicts these competing demands might place on border patrol activities.

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This section contains 660 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample