Senses Of Taste And Smell

Question 1

Sensations of smell and taste are “ ___ senses” because both use chemoreceptors to detect molecules called ___.

Answer 1

chemical

odorants

Question 2

The olfactory sense, or the sense of smell, is a sense mediated by a type of chemoreceptor called an ___

Answer 2

odorant receptor.

Question 3

The odorant receptors are positioned in the cell membranes of the olfactory receptor cells, which are found in the patch of mucous membrane called the

Answer 3

olfactory epithelium

Question 4

The olfactory epithelium is located along the lining of the upper third of the ___.

Answer 4

nasal cavity

Question 5

Sensory olfactory cells possess hair-like ___ that detect the presence of odorants when those molecules react with specialized receptor molecules in the plasma membrane covering the __.

Answer 5

cilia

Question 6

Because air is continually being drawn into the nasal cavity through the nostrils (and sometimes through the mouth), the olfactory epithelium can analyze the chemical content of the ___. This allows us to find nutritious foods, avoid dangerous situations (e.g., fire), and otherwise maintain the stability of our internal environment.

Answer 6

atmosphere

Question 7

can occur in many types of sensory receptors, including odorant receptors. In ___, prolonged exposure to a particular stimulus causes a receptor to fatigue and thus cease sending information to the central nervous sys-tem.

Answer 7

Adaptation

Question 8

is common (e.g., when we put on cologne or use a scented soap and soon cannot smell it on ourselves).

Answer 8

Olfactory adaptation

Question 9

The sense of taste includes at least five modalities of chemical sensation: salt, sweet, sour; bitter, and umami (glutamate).

The receptor organs that mediate these sensations are the___,

Answer 9

taste buds

Question 10

found primarily along the sides of the papillae of the tongue.

Answer 10

Taste buds

Question 11

___ Sense (taste)

Answer 11

Gustatory

Question 12

Gustatory hairs projecting from sensory cells possess receptors that can be triggered by the molecules called ___ detected by the sense of taste.

Answer 12

tastants

Question 13

is a Japanese word that describes the taste of glutamate, an amino acid found in many foods. Flavor enhancers such as MSG (e.,, Accent) add ___ flavors to food. Meats and tomato products such as ketchup have a strong ___ taste.

Answer 13

Umami