Raul Martinez

English 2
March 18, 2015
BTR Questions 5
1. When McDougall speaks to the shopkeeper about who they think is going to win the
greatest race the world has ever seen, the shopkeeper says Scott although he thinks that
the Tarahumara Tribe is better prepared. What advantages does the Tarahumara have
over Scott? Why do you think the shopkeeper chose Scott?
On the greatest race the world has ever seen the Tarahumara Tribe had many very
important advantages over Scott. Although Scott had ran a few times in rocky land, the
Tarahumara had been doing it for years they were used to running on that type of ground and
had better experience running there. Just like the shopkeeper said, The Tarahumara, they eat
heat (152).The Tarahumara are also known to be able to run in extreme heat. Scott would have
a hard time trying to deal with the sun.
I think the shopkeeper chose Scott because although the Tarahumara did have some
advantages, he was a great runner. When talking to the shopkeeper McDougall says that, The
Deer won a one-hundred-thirty-five-mile race across a desert called Death Valley in the middle
of summer. No one has ever run it faster (252). Scott was had overcome very difficult
challenges before. beating the Tarahumara was not going to be as hard as setting a world
record for running the Death Valley.
2. When the greatest race the world has ever seen begins Caballo Blanco becomes
suspicious of the Tarahumara. What had the Tarahumara Tribe done? Why does Caballo
Blanco believe they did that?
When the greatest race the world has ever seen began the Tarahumara started the race
running really fast. The course was designed in the shape of a Y So that the Urique town got
to see the race from different sides. The Tarahumara took advantage of the shape of the course

and they decided to cheat and cut off corners. McDougall realizes this when he sees that the
Tarahumara were way too far in front for the amount of time they had been running. The
Tarahumara ended up getting disqualified for taking shortcuts.
When Caballo Blanco discovered that they were cheating he said he wasnt mad, but
instead he felt pity for them. McDougall explains his feeling of pity by saying, The Urique
Tarahumara had lost their old way of running, he realized, and their confidence along with it
(262). This new Tarahumara were nothing like the old ones. The old Tarahumara, like Arnulfo,
did not run to win, but because the loved doing it and it brought the tribe together.Before running
to the Tarahumara was a habit, but now it was a sport to them and they wanted to win.
3. When Caballo Blanco saw Manuel he presents everyone with different names. What
names did he present them with? Why do you think Caballo Blanco chose to call them
those names?