Question

Practice (page 10): Read paragraphs 14–60 of “The Moustache,” a short story by Robert Cormier. Then use what you have learned about the interaction of story elements to write answers to these questions. Write your answers in the provided space below.
Question Answer
Question 1: Reread paragraph 15. How does the setting affect Mike’s attitude? What event causes that attitude to change?
Question 2: Think about the character of the grandmother. How does she influence the plot and the character of Mike at the end of the story?
Question 3: How does analyzing the interactions of the story elements improve a reader’s understanding of the story?


Additional Notes (OPTIONAL)




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Unit 5 Lesson 7: Figurative and Connotative Meaning
Video Links: Figurative language | Reading | Khan AcademyConnotation | Reading | Khan Academy
Key words: Define the following in your own words.
Word Definition
connotative meaning
figurative meaning
hyperbole
metaphor
simile

Practice (page 4): Read paragraph 13 of “The Moustache,” a short story by Robert Cormier. Use what you have learned about connotative and figurative meanings to answer the questions. Write your answers in the provided space below.
Question Answer
Question 1: Mike says that his grandmother is “a resident—which is supposed to be a better word than patient—at the Lawnrest Nursing Home.” What does his comment say about connotative meanings?
Question 2: Who is described as “a nut about baseball”? What is the figurative meaning of the phrase?
Question 3: What is the figurative meaning of “She was in love with the Mets”?
Question 4: Mike states, “My mother visits her all the time, driving the thirty miles to Lawnrest almost every day.” Which part of this sentence conveys a figurative meaning? Which part conveys a literal meaning?
Question 5: Review what Mike says about cars at the end of the paragraph. What do the connotative meanings of barrel along and barely stagger suggest about the family’s cars—and Mike’s feelings about them?

Practice (page 7): Read the sentences about each character. Then use what you have learned about connotative and figurative meanings to write your answers to the questions.
Question Answer
Rajani’s alarm went off for the third time. Her bed was a magnet that pulled her deeper under the covers. She hit snooze once again.

1. What comparison is made in the text? How does this figurative phrase help to describe Rajani’s experience?
Liam peered around the corner to make sure that his little sister wasn’t in the kitchen. If Abbie saw him, she would wail for cookies and collapse in a bawling heap on the floor.

2. Which words vividly describe what Abbie would do if she saw Liam in the kitchen? How do the connotative meanings of those words affect your understanding of the sister’s actions?
Gisela stepped into the spotlight. She felt like a rabbit trapped in a den of coyotes. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice from quivering as she delivered her lines.

3. What simile is included in the text? What figurative meaning does the simile convey about Gisela’s experience?

Answer 1

Below are concise answers you can write in the provided spaces.

Practice (pages 10: paragraphs 14–60 of “The Moustache”)

Question 1
- How the setting affects Mike’s attitude: The nursing-home setting (Lawnrest) makes Mike casual and a little flippant — he treats the visit like a short, unimportant errand and keeps a joking, detached tone.
- What event causes that attitude to change: His grandmother’s unexpected reaction (her failure to respond as he expects — not really recognizing him / reacting in a way that reveals her vulnerability) shocks him and forces him to stop joking; he becomes serious, shaken, and emotionally affected.

Question 2
- How the grandmother influences the plot and Mike at the end: The grandmother’s condition and her reactions drive the central turning point of the plot (they reveal that she is no longer the same, emotionally or mentally). Her vulnerability forces Mike to confront aging, loss, and human fragility; by the end he is changed — more thoughtful, remorseful, and emotionally mature.

Question 3
- How analyzing interactions of story elements improves understanding: Looking at how setting, character, plot, and theme interact shows why characters behave as they do and how events produce emotional and thematic meaning. It helps readers see cause-and-effect in the story, reveal character growth, and understand the deeper themes (compassion, loss, maturity) instead of only noticing surface action.

Unit 5 Lesson 7 — Key words (brief definitions)

connotative meaning
- The emotional or cultural associations a word carries beyond its literal definition.

figurative meaning
- A non-literal meaning created by figures of speech (metaphor, simile, hyperbole) to convey ideas more vividly.

hyperbole
- Deliberate exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.

metaphor
- A direct comparison that says one thing is another to highlight a likeness.

simile
- A comparison using like or as to show similarity between two things.

Practice (page 4 — paragraph 13 of “The Moustache”)

Question 1
- Mike’s comment about “resident” vs. “patient” shows that word choice changes tone and connotation: “resident” sounds more dignified and less sickly than “patient,” so the comment points out how connotations shape how we think about people in a nursing home.

Question 2
- Who is “a nut about baseball”? The grandmother.
- Figurative meaning: “a nut about baseball” means she is extremely enthusiastic or obsessed with baseball, not literally a nut.

Question 3
- Figurative meaning of “She was in love with the Mets”: She adored and was passionately devoted to the Mets baseball team; it’s exaggerated, emotional language, not romantic love.

Question 4
- Which part is figurative and which part literal: “My mother visits her all the time” is figurative/hyperbolic (an exaggeration to show frequency). “Driving the thirty miles to Lawnrest” is literal (a factual description of distance traveled).

Question 5
- Connotative meanings of barrel along and barely stagger: “Barrel along” suggests moving fast, forcefully, maybe carelessly; “barely stagger” suggests slow, weak, rickety movement. Together they suggest the family’s cars vary — some are loud and vigorous, others old and faltering — and they reveal Mike’s amused/resigned attitude toward the family cars.

Practice (page 7 — short examples)

Question 1
- Comparison made: The bed is compared to a magnet.
- How it helps describe Rajani’s experience: The metaphor shows she feels irresistibly drawn to stay in bed and finds it very hard to get up — it emphasizes the strong pull of sleep/coziness.

Question 2
- Words that describe Abbie’s reaction: “wail” and “collapse in a bawling heap.”
- How connotative meanings affect understanding: These words suggest loud, dramatic, uncontrollable crying; they make Abbie’s reaction seem intense, childish, and exaggerated.

Question 3
- Simile included: “like a rabbit trapped in a den of coyotes.”
- Figurative meaning conveyed: Gisela feels frightened, vulnerable, and surrounded by danger or hostile people; the simile emphasizes her fear and smallness in a threatening situation.