CHAPTER 1 THE WORLD THROUGH OUR SENSES 7. How does pinching the nose help when taking medicine?

Pinching the nose while taking medicine helps reduce the unpleasant taste of
the medicine.
1. What risks do we face if our skin could not detect and respond to stimuli?
We could face serious injuries because the skin would not be able to detect
very hot or very sharp objects and respond to them. 8. Why cant we taste food that cannot dissolve in the saliva?

Food that cannot dissolve in the saliva cannot be detected by the taste
receptors.
2. What will happen to the response of a person who is under the influence
of alcohol or illegal drugs? Why? 9. The colour of the iris is determined by the genetic make-up in our cells.
The person who is under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs will respond
slower to stimuli because alcohol and drugs disrupt the sending of messages
10. The rainbows are formed by the refraction of sunlight as it travels through
along the nerve impulses. Drug overdoses may cause brain damage and the
droplets of rain water in the atmosphere.
stimuli cannot be interpreted correctly.
3.
11. Which career requires a person to have an excellent eyesight?
Body part Thickness of
epidermis(m) Aircraft pilot, combat army, microsurgery doctor.

Forearm 60.9
Thigh 54.3 12. How does a bifocal lens help a person with presbyopia to see clearly?

Abdomen 46.6 A bifocal lens has two parts. The upper part of the lens is for seeing distant
objects and the lower part of the lens is for seeing near objects.
Cheek 38.8
13. Scientists have invented nanorobots that can be inserted into the human body
cells and repair damaged tissues. The application of nanotechnology in the
4. What will happen to the nose when we get used to a smell? medical field is known as nanomedicine.

After smelling something for a long time, the sensory cells stop messages to
the brain. Therefore, we can no longer smell it. 14. Why does sound travel slower in the air than it does in solids?
Sounds travel slower in the air because air particles are very far apart from one
5. Do you agree that without the brain, we cannot smell? Why? another.

Without the brain, we cannot smell. The brain is the organ which receives 15. Why cant we hear the sound of an explosion happening in outer space?
nerve impulses and interprets them as a specific smell. Without the brain, the The outer space is a vacuum. The sound of an explosion in outer space cannot
impulses cannot be interpreted as a smell. be heard because sounds cannot travel through a vacuum.

6. In 1985, scientists accepted umami as the fifth basic taste that describes the
delicious taste of meat, mushrooms and cheese.