Mexicans in the U.S.

• Position: GRAPH: TIMES PAST - Statistical table

As the Times Past article notes, early-19th-century Mexicans had little interest in heading north, to the lands they still call "El Norte." In fact, Mexico's inability to populate its northern territories contributed to the loss of those lands to the U.S. in the Mexican-American War. Since then, as this graph shows, the pull of the north has steadily intensified. Today about one out of every 10 people born in Mexico eventually goes to live--some legally, others illegally--in the U.S.

This graph shows the number of Mexican-born people living in the United States from 1850 to 2010. Figures include both legal and illegal immigrants. Mexican-Born Population in U.S. (in thousands) Year 1850 13 1870 42 1890 78 1910 222 1930 641 1950 454 1970 760 1990 4,500 2010 12,377 Note: Table made from line graph. ANALYZE THE GRAPH

(1) From 1990 to 2010, the Mexican-born population in the U.S. --.

a increased slightly

b remained stagnant

c more than doubled

d more than tripled

(2) During which historic period was there a drop in the U.S.'s Mexican-born population?

a the Civil War, 1861-1865

b the Great Depression, 1929-1941

c the passage of immigration reform, 1965

d the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 2001

(3) In 1990, the total U.S. foreign-born population was roughly 20 million. People born in Mexico made up -- of that total.

a slightly more than one fifth

b almost three fourths

c about half

d slightly less than a tenth

(4) You can infer that the Mexican-born U.S. population for a given year is most likely -- the number of new Mexican immigrants arriving that year.

a equal to

b not related to

c greater than

d less than

(5) In 2010, 55 percent of the Mexican-born population in the U.S. were illegal, immigrants. About how many legal Mexican-born immigrants lived in the U.S. that year?

a 1.5 million

b 3.8 million

c 4.2...