“The Battle of Cats and Dogs” Taken from: Parade magazine July 31, 2011

“The cat’s meow” is an idiom, an expression that is not taken literally. 1. What does it mean when someone says, “That’s the cat’s meow”? An appositive

2. Based on what you read in paragraph 1, what is “stamina”?

3. According to a vet in Manhattan, why do cats tend to survive falls of 10 stories or more better than those who fall between five and nine stories?

4. List 3 reasons why cats are better hunters than dogs.

5. “ …though cats are sometimes recruited to control rodents, in general they lack dogs’ versatility –and drive.” What does the word “versatility” mean?

6. What is the main variable in determining how long a cat will live?

7. What is the main variable in determining how long a dog will live?

8. “ (The Greyhound Project, Adopt-a-Greyhound.org, works to ensure that retired racers find good homes.)” The sentence in the parenthesis is called a ____________ ________________ and helps to give the reader additional information.

9. What is unique about the way in which greyhounds run when taking a turn? Out of the way!!

10. About how many times better is a dog’s sense of smell compared to a human’s?

11. Why are dogs considered to be smarter than cats? Who cares? I wonder if this encyclopedia is an AR book?

Which do you prefer: