______ 1. Which of the following is the mostlikely reason that ’lois’s mother

refuses to ride in the

new Cadillac?

A She thinks the Mercury is a better car.

B She knows that her husband will get in trouble with the police.

C She thinks her husband should have saved the money for a house.

DShe thinks it would be showing off to ride in such a fancy car.

______ 2. Why is ’lois angry with her mother?

F She thinks her mother is being terribly disagreeable.

GShe wants her mother to let her and her sister travel to Mississippi.

HShe dislikes her mother’s opinion about cars.

J She had an argument with her mother, and ’lois was punished.

______ 3. What did everyone hope would happen when ’lois’s father takes her

mother to the cor-ner cafe?

A That they would agree to travel to Mississippi together in the Cadillac

B That they would agree to sell the Cadillac and end the arguing

C That they would eat a nice dinner and celebrate their anniversary

DThat they would make up, and her mother would finally be happy about the

Cadillac

______ 4. Why does everyone stop laughing when ’lois’s father says he’s going

to drive the

Cadillac into Mississippi?

F They know he is just kidding around.

GThey think it is a dangerous thing to do.

HThey hope that they will be invited to go with him.

J They really want him to drive the car north, not south.

______ 5. ’Lois’s mother changes her mind about riding in the Cadillac when —

A her husband decides to make a trip alone to the South

B her husband will leave her if she doesn’t ride in the car

C her children convince her that it is the right thing to do

Dshe gets tired of walking to the grocery store

______ 6. Why do ’lois’s mother and her aunts spend days preparing fried

chicken, baked ham,

and other foods for the drive to Mississippi?

F They don’t want to be hungry when they arrive at their relatives’ house.

GThey don’t have enough money to stop at restaurants to eat.

HThey know they won’t be able to eat in the “whites only” establishments.

J They want to bring food to the poor Southern relatives.

______ 7. What awful events happen to the family after they reach the

Mississippi state line?

A They are stopped by two policemen who proceed to lock up ’lois’s father.

B They run out of gas and have to stop at a “whites only” area for help.

C They are chased by several policemen and taken to court.

DThey lose their Cadillac and can’t get back home.

______ 8. Why does ’lois’s father insist that they are rich after they sell the

Cadillac?

F He receives a great deal of money from its new buyer.

GThe family finds money stashed in their new car.

HThe Model A Ford is more luxurious than the gold Cadillac.

J Their family is unified and loving, and they no longer need the car.

______ 9. Which of the following statements bestdescribes the role that the gold

Cadillac plays in

the family’s life at the end of the story?

A It represents the family’s desire to keep buying new cars.

B It causes the family’s relatives to lose respect for them.

C It helps bring the family closer together.

DIt creates a permanent conflict between the parents.

______10. Which of the following is notsomething that ’lois says will always be

a part of her

memory of the Cadillac?

F The ride the family took in it to the South

GThe fried chicken she ate in the back seat

HThe splendor of riding in the luxurious car

J The fear she had due to what happened during their trip

______11. “The Gold Cadillac” is a novella for all of the following reasons

except—

A its plot is more complex than a short story’s

B it is shorter than a novel

C it can easily be adapted into a play

Dit’s longer than a short story

______12. One of the subplots in this story deals mainlywith —

F sensitivity to the feelings of others

Gthe use of money or material objects as status symbols

Hacts of kindness towards strangers

J survival and self-determination

______13. What is the main conflict that ’lois has in this novella?

A Her desire to ride in the Cadillac and not to be seen walking anywhere

B Her inability to get along with her parents

C Her desire to eat in a restaurant during their trip although she isn’t allowed to

DHer confrontation with an unjust, racist society

______14. Some events in this novella are based on —

F predictions that ’lois’s grandfather had

Gevents that happened in history

Hfantasy and science fiction

J mystery and intrigue

VOCABULARYDEVELOPMENT (20 points; 5 points each)

Match the definition on the left with the Vocabulary word on the right.

Write the letter of the Vocabulary word on the line provided.

______15. having to do with country life a. evident

______16. lack of knowledge b.rural

______17. paying close attention to c. heedful

______18. easily seen and understood d.ignorance

WRITTENRESPONSE TO THESTANDARD (20 points)

Literary Response and Analysis Standard 3.1 Identify the forms of fiction, and

describe the major

characteristics of each form.

19. “The Gold Cadillac” is a novella. Define what a novella is and explain why

this story could be categorized as one. Then, explain how it is similar to and

different from other types of fiction such as the novel and the short story.

On a separate piece of paper, write a paragraph that explains your answer.

Support your ideas with details from the story.

Comprehension

1.C 6.H

2.F 7.A

3.D 8.J

4.G 9.C

5.A 10.G

Literary Focus

11.C

12.G

13.D

14.G

Vocabulary Development

15.b

16.d

17.c

18.a

Written Response to the Standard

19.Students’ responses will vary. A sample

response follows:

A novella is a fictional story that is

shorter than a novel but longer than a short

story. This story would be a novella because

it has a larger story than a short story

would. For instance, a short story might

have detailed only the purchase of the

Cadillac and its immediate effect on the

family. This novella includes these events as

well as a narrative of the effect of the

Cadillac on the outside world. Like the

novel and short story, it has a plot, charac-ters, specific setting, and one or more

themes. “The Gold Cadillac” is a story that

could be published by itself, as a novel,

or along with other stories in a collection

of stories.

Separate but Never Equal

Comprehension

1.B 6.H

2.H 7.B

3.A 8.J

4.G 9.D

5.C 10.F

Comprehension

1.D 6.H

2.G 7.C

3.D 8.F

4.F 9.D

5.B 10.H

Literary Focus

11.D

12.F

13.B

14.J

Vocabulary Development

15.C

16.F

17.A

18.J

19.B

Written Response to the Standard

20.Students’ responses will vary. A sample

response follows:

“La Bamba” is a short story because it

has a few characters, a setting, a plot, a con-flict, and a theme. This story is

probably so

popular with readers because it is a story

with an interesting, captivating plot. The

story can be read quickly, in one sitting, and

it is satisfying to read because almost every-Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and

Winston. All rights reserved.

Answer Key

The Gold Cadillac

 

Setting

Toledo, Ohio, and Mississippi, 1950

 

Characters

Llois, narrator

Wilbert, or Daddy

Wilma, ’lois’ sister

Dee, mother

Mr. Pondexter, neighbor

Mr. LeRoy, neighbor

Mr. Courtland, neighbor

Aunts and uncles in Toledo, Detroit, and Mississippi

White policemen

 

Plot Summary

One day, ’lois is surprised—and pleased—when her father brings home a brand-

new

Cadillac. She and her sister, Wilma, share their father’s excitement, but their

mother is unhappy because the family was supposed to be saving money to buy a

new house. When

Daddy decides to take the family on a trip to Mississippi in the new car, his

relatives and neighbors warn him that it’s “a mighty dangerous thing, for a black

man to drive an expensive car”, especially in the South. He ignores their

concerns and makes the trip, only to be stopped by a white policeman, not for

any crime but for what is known today as DWB, “driving while black.” The

policeman takes Daddy from the car, leaving Lois, Wilma, and Dee to spend a

sleepless night alone in the car, worried about him—and themselves.

 

Daddy returns, ruffled but unharmed, the next morning and announces that he’s

decided to leave the car with a cousin in Memphis and to borrow a different car

for the rest of the trip to Mississippi. When they return to Ohio after their

Mississippi vacation,

Daddy sells the car.

 

Discussion

The Gold Cadillac is Taylor’s only book that is not clearly about the Logan

family, but the story still has some of the key traits that appear in her other books.

Daddy is loving, happy, and courageous. He loves his family and the South, and

he’s willing to make sacrifices—in this case, selling his new car—for the good of

the family.

The story begins as a funny domestic tale in which the father is in hot water

because he’s made a big purchase without first discussing it with his wife. The

lighthearted mood continues as the family prepares for a trip to Mississippi; the

girls are excited to ride in the new car, to see relatives, and to eat their mother’s

picnic foods. The warnings from neighbors and family create a subtle but

ominous foreshadowing. Though no one is physically injured by the racist

incident at the heart of this story, ’lois has seen, for the first time, how terrifying

racism can be. It’s her first step to realizing how vulnerable African Americans

are in a racist society.