Roar, Rumble or Purr?: teacher key

Cats, grade 11 edition, written for 11th grade. Lions roar and house cats purr, but the line between them is argued. See how the throat bones work, how McComb explains the urgent purr, and what ancient cat DNA can and cannot show.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What lets big cats roar?
   • A hardened hyoid and a stiff larynx
   • A partly bony hyoid and a flexible larynx (answer)
   • A long tail
2. What do some researchers argue about lion and leopard purrs in those studies?
   • They were true purrs made in both breaths
   • They may not have been true purrs, only rolling growls (answer)
   • They were really meows
3. What did McComb suggest about a purr with an embedded cry?
   • It taps into a sensitivity people have to sounds linked to caring for their young (answer)
   • It frightens mice
   • It is only for kittens
4. Why did only six mummified cats give DNA results?
   • The others were too young
   • The DNA of the others had broken down in hot, dry places (answer)
   • The others were not cats
5. What does the old split between purring and roaring cats look like today?
   • Fully settled
   • Debated, since 20 of 36 species purr (answer)
   • Proved by the 2023 study

Words

• hyoid: throat bone
• larynx: voice box
• resonate: ring with sound
• mummified: preserved bodies
• Ptolemaic: ancient Egyptian era