The Meaning And Power Of Smell IELTS Reading Answers
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The Academic passage ‘The Meaning And Power Of Smell’ is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. If you want more passages to solve, try taking one of our IELTS reading practice tests.
The Meaning And Power Of Smell
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| Question number | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | viii | Paragraph A brings out the fact that with the help of a survey conducted by Anthony Synott at Montreal’s Concordia University, it became apparent that ‘smell can evoke’ ‘strong emotional responses’ (feelings). For example, a scent associated with a good experience can bring a rush of joy, while a foul odour or one associated with a bad memory may make us grimace with disgust. Hence, the answer is viii (The relationship between smell and feelings). |
| 2 | ii | Paragraph B states that odours (smells) are also essential cues in social bonding (personal relationships). In fact, infants recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or spouses by scent. Hence, the answer is ii (The role of smell in personal relationships). |
| 3 | vi | Paragraph C explains why smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason for the low regard in which smell is held is that the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped. Our noses are able to recognise thousands of smells, and to perceive odours which are present only in extremely small quantities. Hence, the answer is vi (Why our sense of smell is not appreciated). |
| 4 | i | Paragraph D mentions that smell is a highly elusive phenomenon as they cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn’t exist. Moreover, odours cannot be recorded: there is no effective way to either capture or store them over time. Hence, the answer is i (The difficulties of talking about smells). |
| 5 | iii | Paragraph E points out that researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two – one responding to odours properly and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air. Questions like whether the nose is the only part of the body affected by odours, and how smells can be measured objectively given the nonphysical components mean that interest in the psychology of smell is inevitably set to play an increasingly important role for researchers. These queries will motivate researchers to study the sense in future. Hence, the answer is iii (Future studies into smell). |
| 6 | v | Paragraph F communicates that our commonly held feelings about smells can help distinguish us from other cultures. This means that varying notions about smell differentiate each culture or community from each other and thus separate them from each other. Hence, the answer is v (The interpretation of smells as a factor in defining groups). |
| 7 | C | According to the introduction, it is only when the faculty of smell is impaired, that is, the sense/ability of smell is damaged for some reason, that we begin to realise the essential role the sense of smell (become aware of the importance of smell) plays in our sense of well-being. Hence, the answer is C (our ability to smell is damaged). |
| 8 | A | Paragraph B indicates that in one well-known test, most of the subjects probably never have given much thought (without realising it) to odour as a cue for identifying family members (make use of smell) before being involved in the test, but as the experiment revealed, even when not consciously considered, smells register. Hence, the answer is A (shows how we make use of smell without realising it). |
| 9 | C | Paragraph C informs that in spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. While it is true (as commonly believed by everyone) that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain animals, they are still remarkably acute (sense of smell is essential for our well being). So, the author points out that though we may accept that smell is unimportant, it is not true, thereby rejecting widely accepted belief. Hence, the answer is C (rejecting a common belief). |
| 10 | D | Paragraph E lets out the fact that significant advances have been made in the understanding of the biological and chemical nature of olfaction, but many fundamental questions have yet to be answered. Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two – one responding to odours properly and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air. From this, we can derive that many questions about smell are yet to be unanswered and its properties have to be defined. Hence, the answer is D (Smell is yet to be defined). |
| 11 | clothing | Paragraph B considers the fact that in one well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell (odours can help people recognise) clothing worn by their marriage partners (belonging to their husbands and wives) from similar clothing worn by other people. Hence, the answer is ‘clothing’. |
| 12 | vocabulary | Paragraph D suggests that odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named ( difficulty describing smell) in many languages(certain linguistic groups) because the specific vocabulary simply doesn’t exist (lack the appropriate vocabulary). Hence, the answer is ‘vocabulary’. |
| 13 | chemicals | Paragraph E intimates that researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two – one responding to odours proper (obvious odours) and the other registering odourless chemicals (chemicals that do not smell) in the air. Hence, the answer is ‘chemicals’. |
| 14 | cultures | Paragraph F declares that odours are invested with cultural values: smells that are considered to be offensive (odours regarded as unpleasant) in some cultures may be perfectly acceptable (not regarded as unpleasant) in others. Hence, the answer is ‘cultures’. |
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