The Meaning And Power Of Smell - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 08 Academic Reading Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 27–40
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 on the following pages.
The meaning and power of smell
The sense of smell, or olfaction, is powerful. Odours affect us on a physical, psychological and social level. For the most part, however, we breathe in the aromas which surround us without being consciously aware of their importance to us. It is only when the faculty of smell is impaired for some reason that we begin to realise the essential role the sense of smell plays in our sense of well-being
A A survey conducted by Anthony Synott at Montreal's Concordia University asked participants to comment on how important smell was to them in their lives. It became apparent that smell can evoke strong emotional responses. 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. Respondents to the survey noted that many of their olfactory likes and dislikes were based on emotional associations. Such associations can be powerful enough so that odours that we would generally label unpleasant become agreeable, and those that we would generally consider fragrant become disagreeable for particular individuals. The perception of smell, therefore, consists not only of the sensation of the odours themselves, but of the experiences and emotions associated with them.
B Odours are also essential cues in social bonding. One respondent to the survey believed that there is no true emotional bonding without touching and smelling a loved one. In fact, infants recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or spouses by scent. In one well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage partners from similar clothing worn by other people. Most of the subjects would probably never have given much thought to odour as a cue for identifying family members before being involved in the test, but as the experiment revealed, even when not consciously considered, smells register.
C In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped. While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain animals, they are still remarkably acute. Our noses are able to recognise thousands of smells, and to perceive odours which are present only in extremely small quantities.
D Smell, however, is a highly elusive phenomenon. Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn't exist. 'It smells like...', we have to say when describing an odour, struggling to express our olfactory experience. Nor can odours be recorded: there is no effective way to either capture or store them over time. In the realm of olfaction, we must make do with descriptions and recollections. This has implications for olfactory research.
E Most of the research on smell undertaken to date has been of a physical scientific nature. 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 proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air. Other unanswered questions are whether the nose is the only part of the body affected by odours, and how smells can be measured objectively given the non-physical components. Questions like these mean that interest in the psychology of smell is inevitably set to play an increasingly important role for researchers.
F However, smell is not simply a biological and psychological phenomenon. Smell is cultural, hence it is a social and historical phenomenon. Odours are invested with cultural values: smells that are considered to be offensive in some cultures may be perfectly acceptable in others. Therefore, our sense of smell is a means of, and model for, interacting with the world. Different smells can provide us with intimate and emotionally charged experiences and the value that we attach to these experiences is interiorised by the members of society in a deeply personal way. Importantly, our commonly held feelings about smells can help distinguish us from other cultures. The study of the cultural history of smell is, therefore, in a very real sense, an investigation into the essence of human culture.
Questions
Questions 27–32 Matching Headings
Reading Passage 3 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
i. The difficulties of talking about smells
ii. The role of smell in personal relationships
iii. Future studies into smell
iv. The relationship between the brain and the nose
v. The interpretation of smells as a factor in defining groups
vi. Why our sense of smell is not appreciated
vii. Smell is our superior sense
viii. The relationship between smell and feelings
Questions 33–36 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Questions 37–40 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
- Tests have shown that odours can help people recognise the 37 belonging to their husbands and wives.
- Certain linguistic groups may have difficulty describing smell because they lack the appropriate 38 .
- The sense of smell may involve response to 39 which do not smell, in addition to obvious odours.
- Odours regarded as unpleasant in certain 40 are not regarded as unpleasant in others.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q27 | viii | The perception of smell, therefore, consists not only of the sensation of the odours themselves, but of the experiences and emotions associated with them | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that when we smell something, we are not just noticing a scent; we are also experiencing the feelings and memories that we connect to that specific smell. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph A explains the connection between the scents we smell and the emotions we feel. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because Paragraph A focuses on how smells trigger emotional responses and emotional associations. It explains that whether we like or dislike a smell often depends on the memories and feelings we have linked to it. The paragraph concludes that smell is more than just a physical sensation; it is deeply tied to our feelings. |
| Q28 | ii | Odours are also essential cues in social bonding. One respondent to the survey believed that there is no true emotional bonding without touching and smelling a loved one. In fact, infants recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or spouses by scent | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that smells are very important for forming close links between people, such as babies knowing their mothers' scent and adults being able to recognize their family members by how they smell. Answer Explanation: The answer 'ii' means that Paragraph B explains how the sense of smell is important for connecting with and identifying people we care about, such as family members. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'ii' is right because Paragraph B focuses on how smell helps with 'social bonding' and the connection between 'loved' ones. It explains that smells help babies recognize their 'mothers' and helps adults identify their 'children' or 'spouses'. These are all examples of personal relationships. |
| Q29 | vi | In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that many cultures do not think smell is very important or valuable. It explains that people feel this way because they think humans are not very good at smelling when compared to animals. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph C explains the reasons why people do not value or think highly of the sense of smell. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because Paragraph C discusses how smell is the most 'undervalued' sense and is held in 'low regard.' The text explains that this lack of appreciation comes from the belief that human smell is 'feeble and undeveloped' compared to that of animals. These points directly explain 'why' people do not appreciate the sense, which matches heading vi. |
| Q30 | i | Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn't exist. 'It smells like ', we have to say when describing an odour, struggling to express our olfactory experience |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that since there are no special words for smells in many languages, people find it very hard to describe exactly what they are smelling and must compare it to other things instead. Answer Explanation: The answer means that describing what something smells like is difficult because we lack the right words. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'i' because paragraph D explains that smell is an 'elusive' phenomenon, which means it is hard to catch or describe. It says that in many languages, a 'specific vocabulary' (special words) for smells does not exist. Because people cannot name smells directly like they name colors, they find themselves 'struggling to express' their experiences when they try to talk about them. |
| Q31 | iii | Questions like these mean that interest in the psychology of smell is inevitably set to play an increasingly important role for researchers | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that because there are still many things we do not understand about smell, scientists are prepared to make the study of how smells affect the mind a much bigger part of their future work. Answer Explanation: The answer iii means that Paragraph E focuses on the topics that scientists will investigate in the coming years regarding the sense of smell. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is iii because Paragraph E highlights that while some progress has been made in biological research, many "unanswered questions" remain. It points out that because of these mysteries, scientists will need to focus more on the psychology of smell in the future to find the answers. This shift toward new areas of investigation matches the idea of "future studies." |
| Q32 | v | Importantly, our commonly held feelings about smells can help distinguish us from other cultures | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that the way a whole group of people feels about certain smells makes that group different from other groups of people. Answer Explanation: The answer 'v' means that the way we understand and feel about smells helps to show which group or culture we belong to. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'v' because Paragraph F focuses on the social and cultural side of smell. It discusses how 'cultural values' change what we think is a 'good' or 'bad' smell. Because different groups have their own ideas about smell, these shared feelings help to 'distinguish' (show the difference) between one culture and another. This makes smell a way to define or identify different human groups. |
| Q33 | C | It is only when the faculty of smell is impaired for some reason that we begin to realise the essential role the sense of smell plays in our sense of well-being | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that it is only when our power to smell is damaged or weakened for some reason that we start to understand how important it is for our feeling of health and happiness. Answer Explanation: The answer means that we only notice how important smell is when we lose our ability to use it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the introduction states that people usually breathe in smells without thinking about them. We only 'realise' (understand or become aware) of its 'essential role' (importance) when our 'faculty of smell' (ability to smell) is 'impaired' (damaged or not working correctly). |
| Q34 | A | Most of the subjects would probably never have given much thought to odour as a cue for identifying family members before being involved in the test, but as the experiment revealed, even when not consciously considered, smells register | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that before the test, people did not think smell was important for identifying family, but the test proved that the brain notices and uses smells even when we are not thinking about it. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the test shows people use smell to recognize others even when they do not know they are doing it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because paragraph B describes an experiment where people identified their husband's or wife's clothes by smell. The text notes that most people had never thought about using scent to find their family members before they took part in the test. The passage uses the phrase 'not consciously considered' to show that people were using their sense of smell even though they didn't realize it. |
| Q35 | C | The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped. While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain animals, they are still remarkably acute | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage points out that many people believe humans have a weak sense of smell. However, the writer then disagrees with this, explaining that humans actually have a very strong and sharp ability to smell. Answer Explanation: The answer means that in paragraph C, the author says that a common idea most people have is actually wrong. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'rejecting a common belief' because the writer addresses the popular opinion that human smell is weak or 'feeble' when compared to animals. The author challenges this idea by stating that while humans might not be as good as some animals, our sense of smell is actually 'remarkably acute' (very sharp) and can detect 'thousands of smells.' By doing this, the writer argues against the widely held but incorrect view that the human sense of smell is not well-developed. |
| Q36 | D | 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 proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that while we have learned more about the science of smelling, there are still big, basic questions left. Specifically, experts haven't decided if humans use one sense or two senses to detect things in the air, which means we still don't have a final definition for it. Answer Explanation: The answer means that scientists have not yet fully explained or agreed on the exact nature of how smell works. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because paragraph E explains that there are many "fundamental questions" about smell that are not yet answered. The author points out that researchers have not "decided" if smell is one single sense or two different senses. This uncertainty shows that the basic definition of smell is still being studied and is not yet final. |
| Q37 | clothing | In one well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage partners from similar clothing worn by other people | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in a famous experiment, men and women could tell which clothes belonged to their husband or wife just by smelling them, even when mixed with clothes from other people. Answer Explanation: The answer means things like shirts, pants, or dresses that people wear on their bodies. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from Paragraph B. The passage describes a famous experiment where husbands and wives (referred to as "marriage partners") were able to identify the "clothing" that their spouse had worn just by using their sense of smell. This shows that people can recognize things belonging to their family members through scent alone. |
| Q38 | vocabulary | Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn't exist | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that, unlike the words we have for colors, many languages do not have special words for smells. Answer Explanation: The answer means the set of words used in a language. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is correct because the passage explains why it is hard to describe smells in many languages. It says that many languages do not have specific words to name different smells. The text uses the word 'vocabulary' to describe this lack of words, which makes it difficult for people in those linguistic groups to talk about what they smell. |
| Q39 | chemicals | Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two - one responding to odours proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that scientists are thinking about whether smell has two different parts. One part reacts to normal smells (odours proper), and the other part reacts to "odourless chemicals," which are things in the air that have no smell. Answer Explanation: The answer "chemicals" refers to substances in the air that do not have a scent but might still be picked up by our sense of smell. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "chemicals" because Paragraph E describes a scientific debate about how the nose works. It suggests that while we definitely react to normal smells, we might also react to "odourless chemicals." In this context, "odourless" is a synonym for the phrase "do not smell" used in the question. This shows that our sense of smell could involve more than just the scents we easily notice. |
| Q40 | cultures | Odours are invested with cultural values: smells that are considered to be offensive in some cultures may be perfectly acceptable in others | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that different societies have different rules about smells; a smell that is considered bad by one group might be totally fine for a different group. Answer Explanation: The answer "cultures" refers to groups of people who share the same traditions, beliefs, and social behaviors. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "cultures" because paragraph F explains that how we feel about smells is tied to our social background. It notes that a smell might be disliked (described as "offensive" in the text) in one group of people but fine (described as "acceptable") in another group. This matches the sentence in the task which says smells seen as "unpleasant" in some groups are not seen that way in others. |