Uvula

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/uvula

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Palatine uvula
2. What is the histological composition?Connective tissue, racemose glands, and striated muscular fibers (musculus uvulae)
3. What is the uvula and where is it located?The uvula is a small, dangly piece of tissue at the back of your throat. It hangs from the soft part of the roof of your mouth, called the soft palate.
4. Why does the uvula help us talk?When we speak, the uvula moves and can vibrate against the back of the throat. This movement helps make special sounds, like the French "r" or the Arabic "qaf".

Phonation: The production of sound by the vocal cords and related structures in the throat.
Deglutition: The complex process of swallowing food or liquid from the mouth to the stomach.
Nasopharynx: The upper part of the throat, behind the nasal cavity and above the soft palate.