The Mucus Escalator: teacher key

Boogers and Snot, grade 4 edition, written for 4th grade. Mucus is more than slime. See what it is made of, how cilia push it along like an escalator, and what it tells us about colds.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Which is in mucus?
   • Sugar and ink
   • Water, mucin proteins, defense proteins and salt (answer)
   • Only water
2. Why are cilia compared to an escalator?
   • They make stairs
   • They push mucus along (answer)
   • They are loud
3. What does snot color alone tell you?
   • Exactly which germ you have
   • How old you are
   • Nothing sure about what is inside the body (answer)
4. Where does mucus go after it drips down the throat?
   • It goes back to the nose
   • It is swallowed and meets stomach acid (answer)
   • It turns to dust
5. Which cells make mucus?
   • Only cells in the toes
   • Cells in the hair
   • Cells in the mouth, throat, nose and sinuses (answer)
6. What does the word defense mean here?
   • Protection (answer)
   • Dinner
   • A hole

Words

• mucus: nose slime
• mucin: mucus protein
• cilia: tiny hairs
• escalator: moving stairs
• defense: protection