Question

"At the last minute Annie couldn't go. She was invaded by one of those twenty-four-hour flu bugs
that sent her to bed with a fever, moaning about the fact that she'd also have to break her date
with Handsome Harry Arnold that night. We call him Handsome Harry because he's actually
handsome, but he's also a nice guy, cool, and he doesn't treat me like Annie's kid brother, which I
am, but like a regular person. Anyway, I had to go to Lawnrest alone that afternoon. But first of
all I had to stand inspection. My mother lined me up against the wall. She stood there like a oneman firing squad, which is kind of funny because she's not like a man at all, she's very feminine,
and we have this great relationship -- I mean, I feel as if she really likes me. I realize that sounds
strange, but I know guys whose mothers love them and cook special stuff for them and worry
about them and all but there's something missing in their relationship.
Anyway. She frowned and started the routine.
"That hair," she said. Then admitted: "Well, at least you combed it."
I sighed. I have discovered that it's better to sigh than argue.
"And that moustache." She shook her head. "I still say a seventeen-year-old has no business
wearing a moustache."
"It's an experiment," I said. "I just wanted to see if I could grow one." To tell the truth, I had
proved my point about being able to grow a decent moustache, but I also had learned to like it.
"It's costing you money, Mike," she said.
"I know, I know."
The money was a reference to the movies. The Downtown Cinema has a special Friday night
offer -- half price admission for high school couples, seventeen or younger. But the woman in the
box office took one look at my moustache and charged me full price. Even when I showed her
my driver's license. She charged full admission for Cindy's ticket, too, which left me practically
broke and unable to take Cindy out for a hamburger with the crowd afterward. That didn’t help
matters, because Cindy has been getting impatient recently about things like the fact that I don't
own my own car and have to concentrate on my studies if I want to win that college scholarship,
for instance. Cindy wasn't exactly crazy about the moustache, either.
Now it was my mother's turn to sigh."


Check-In (page 3): Read paragraphs of “The Moustache.” Use what you have learned about providing an objective summary to complete the activities.
Main Points Paragraphs 1-9
Explain Importance












Main Points Paragraphs 10-13
Explain Importance












Practice (page 4): Use what you learned in the lesson and the main points that you identified above to provide an objective summary of this part of the story. Write a paragraph (about 4-5 sentences).
Summary

Answer 1

Main Points — Paragraphs 1–9
- Annie cancels the date because she has a 24-hour flu, so the narrator must go to Lawnrest alone.
- The narrator’s mother inspects him before he leaves, focusing on his hair and a new moustache.
- The narrator and his mother have a warm, close relationship, but she disapproves of his moustache and worries about its appropriateness.
- The narrator explains the moustache is an “experiment” and admits he likes it.

Explain Importance
- These details establish the situation (Annie’s absence) and show the narrator’s family relationships and home life.
- The mother’s inspection and disapproval introduce a personal conflict about the moustache that highlights the narrator’s transition toward adulthood and how others judge his appearance.

Main Points — Paragraphs 10–13
- The narrator explains the moustache causes a practical problem: at the movie theater he was charged full price despite being under seventeen because the box-office woman judged his age by the moustache.
- Paying full price left him short of money and unable to take Cindy and the others out afterward.
- Cindy is becoming impatient about issues such as his lack of a car, his need to focus on studies for a scholarship, and she doesn’t like the moustache.
- The narrator’s mother sighs again, signaling continuing disapproval.

Explain Importance
- These paragraphs show concrete consequences of the moustache (financial and social) and how it affects the narrator’s relationships with peers and a girlfriend candidate (Cindy).
- They raise the stakes: the moustache isn’t just a personal experiment but has social costs that conflict with the narrator’s responsibilities and goals.

Objective Summary (4–5 sentences)
Annie cancels her date with Handsome Harry because she has a short-lived flu, so the narrator must go out alone. Before he leaves, his mother inspects him and criticizes his hair and a new moustache despite their close relationship. The moustache has already caused problems: a theater attendant charged him full price, leaving him without money to join friends afterward. As a result, Cindy is impatient about his situation and dislikes the moustache, and his mother expresses continued disapproval.