The Sense of Flavor 2 Reading Answers

Jan 12, 2023

The Sense of Flavor 2 Reading Answers contains a write up about the flavors and its evolution. The Sense of Flavor 2 Reading Answers contains a total of 7 paragraphs. Related to the paragraphs are 13 questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. The paragraphs are about the evolution of flavors. Also, how flavors and aromas originated and many researches on the same.

The Sense of Flavor 2 Reading Answers is an IELTS Reading passage which comprises three types of question: true/false and not given, Complete the summary and complete the sentence. To complete the summary candidate must be aware of each detail mentioned. The paragraphs must be read thoroughly and important details remembered. So. A deep understanding of paragraphs is required. Some information which is not mentioned must be answered as not given. While to complete the sentence an interpretation of the paragraphs is must. To answer the questions provided in the given passage,Applicants must attentively read each passage. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Sense of Flavor 2 Reading Answers

{A} Scientists now believe that human beings acquired the sense of taste as a way to avoid being poisoned. Edible plants generally taste sweet; deadly ones, bitter. Taste is supposed to help us differentiate food that’s good for us from food that’s not. The taste buds on our tongues can detect the presence of half a dozen or so basic tastes, including sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami (a taste discovered by Japanese researchers, a rich and full sense of deliciousness triggered by amino acids in foods such as shellfish, mushrooms, potatoes, and seaweed). Tastebuds offer a limited means of detection, however, compared with the human olfactory system, which can perceive thousands of different chemical aromas. Indeed, ‘flavor’ is primarily the smell of gasses being released by the chemicals you’ve just put in your mouth. The aroma of food can be responsible for as much as 90% of its flavor.

{B} The act of drinking, sucking or chewing a substance releases its volatile gasses. They flow out of the mouth and up the nostrils, or up the passageway at the back of the mouth, to a thin layer of nerve cells called the olfactory epithelium, located at the base of the nose, right between the eyes. The brain combines the complex smell signals from the epithelium with the simple taste signals from the tongue, assigns a flavor to what’s in your mouth, and decides if it’s something you want to eat.

{C} Babies like sweet tastes and reject bitter ones; we know this because scientists have rubbed various flavors inside the mouths of infants and then recorded their facial reactions. A person’s food preferences, like his or her personality, are formed during the first few years of life, through a process of socialization. Toddlers can learn to enjoy hot and spicy food, bland health food, or fast food, depending upon what the people around them eat. The human sense of smell is still not fully understood. It is greatly affected by psychological factors and expectations. The mind filters out the overwhelming majority of chemical aromas that surround us, focusing intently on some, ignoring others. People can grow accustomed to bad smells or good smells; they stop noticing what once seemed overpowering.

{D} Aroma and memory are somehow inextricably linked. A smell can suddenly evoke a long-forgotten moment. The flavors of childhood foods seem to leave an indelible mark, and adults often return to them, without always knowing why. These ‘comfort foods’ become a source of pleasure and reassurance a fact that fast-food chains work hard to promote Childhood memories of Happy Meals can translate into frequent adult visits to McDonald’s’, like those of the chain’s ‘heavy users’, the customers who eat there four or five times a week.

{E} The human craving for flavor has been a large unacknowledged and unexamined force in history. Royal empires have been built, unexplored lands have been traversed, great religions and philosophies have been forever changed by the spice trade. In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail in order to try to find new seasonings and thus to make his fortune with this most desired commodity of that time. Today, the influence of flavor in the world marketplace is no less decisive. The rise and fall of corporate empires – soft-drink companies, snack-food companies, and fast-food chains – is frequently determined by how their products taste.

{F} The flavor industry emerged in the mid-1800s, as processed foods began to be manufactured on a large scale. Recognizing the need for flavor additives, the early food processors turned to perfume companies that had years of experience working with essential oils and volatile aromas. The great perfume houses of England, France, and the Netherlands produced many of the first flavor compounds. In the early part of the 20th century, Germany’s powerful chemical industry assumed the lead in flavor production. Legend has it that a German scientist discovered methyl anthranilate, one of the first artificial flavors, by accident while mixing chemicals in his laboratory. Suddenly, the lab was filled with the sweet smell of grapes. Methyl anthranilate later became the chief flavoring compound of manufactured grape juice.

{G} The quality that people seek most of all in a food, its flavor, is usually present in a quantity too infinitesimal to be measured by any traditional culinary terms such as ounces or teaspoons. Today’s sophisticated spectrometers, gas chromatograph, and headspace vapor analyzers provide a detailed map of a food’s flavor components, detecting chemical aromas in amounts as low as one part per billion. The human nose, however, is still more sensitive than any machine yet invented. A nose can detect aromas present in quantities of a few parts per trillion. Complex aromas, such as those of coffee or roasted meat, may be composed of gasses from nearly a thousand different chemicals. The chemical that provides the dominant flavor of bell pepper can be tasted in amounts as low as 0.02 parts per billion; one drop is sufficient to add flavor to the amount of water needed to fill five average-sized swimming pools

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1 – 5

Do the following statements agree with the information given in The Passage? In boxes 1 – 5 on the answer sheet write

TRUE	if the statement is True
FALSE	if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN	If the information is not given in the passage

(1) The brain determines which aromas we are aware of.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information given related to the question statement in the paragraphs. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

(2) The sense of taste is as efficient as the sense of smell.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information given related to the question statement in the paragraphs. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

(3) Personal tastes in food are developed in infancy.

Answer: True
Supporting Statement: Babies like sweet tastes and reject bitter ones; we know this because scientists have rubbed various flavors inside the mouths of infants and then recorded their facial reactions.
Keyword : Babies, flavors, infants
Keyword Location: Paragraph C
Explanation: As per paragraph C, it has been clearly stated that babies like sweet tastes and reject the bitter ones. This is because scientists have rubbed various flavors inside the mouths of infants and then recorded their facial reactions. So, the personal tastes are developed at the stage of infancy. So, the statement is True.

(4) Christopher Columbus found many different spices on his travels.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There has been no relevant information given related to the question statement in the paragraphs. So, the correct answer is Not Given.

(5) In the mid 1880s ,man-made flavors were originally invented on purpose.

Answer: False
Supporting Statement: The flavor industry emerged in the mid-1800s, as processed foods began to be manufactured on a large scale.
Keyword : Flavor industry, mid 1800s
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: As per paragraph F, the flavor industry came into existence in the 1800s. This was because processed foods began to be manufactured on a large scale and consumer demand increased. However, the question statements are contradictory and the dates are also wrong. So, the statement is False.

Questions 6-11

Complete the sentence below. Choose ONE word from The Passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 6 – 11 on your answer sheet

It is thought that the sense of taste was 6)……………in order to 7)…………..the foods which are harmless to us from those that are not 8) ………….. The sense of smell, which gives us the flavor we detect in our food, helps us to take pleasure in our food. Indeed this 9) ……………for flavor was, in the past, the reason why so many explorers ventured to distant lands to bring back new 10 ………….which were greatly sought after in Europe. Here they were used in cooking to enhance the usual 11)………….and unappetizing dishes eaten by rich and poor alike.

Question 6)

Answer: Acquired
Supporting Statement: Scientists now believe that human beings acquired the sense of taste as a way to avoid being poisoned.
Keyword : Scientists, sense of taste
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: As per the paragraph A, the introductory lines clearly state the perception of scientists. Scientists believe that human beings acquired a sense of taste. The main reason for this was to avoid getting poisoned. So, the correct answer is Acquired as per the explanation.

Question 7)

Answer: Differentiate
Supporting Statement: Taste is supposed to help us differentiate food that’s good for us from food that’s not.
Keyword : Taste, differentiate
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: As per paragraph A, the introductory lines state the purpose of taste. Taste is opposed to differentiate food. This is to help us know which food is good and beneficial for us from harmful food. So, the correct answer is different as per the explanation provided.

Question 8)

Answer: Good
Supporting Statement: Taste is supposed to help us differentiate food that’s good for us from food that’s not.
Keyword : Taste, differentiate
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: As per paragraph A, the introductory lines state the purpose of taste. Taste is opposed to differentiate food. This is to help us know which food is good and beneficial for us from harmful food. It also protects us from poisonous food. So, the correct answer is good as per the explanation provided.

Question 9)

Answer: Aroma
Supporting Statement: Tastebuds offer a limited means of detection, however, compared with the human olfactory system, which can perceive thousands of different chemical aromas. Indeed, ‘flavor’ is primarily the smell of gasses being released by the chemicals you’ve just put in your mouth. The aroma of food can be responsible for as much as 90% of its flavor.
Keyword : Tastebuds, aroma
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: As per paragraph A, it has been mentioned that tastebuds offer a limited means of detections. This is compared with the olfactory senses of human beings. The olfactory system can detect thousands of different chemical aromas. So, the correct answer is Aroma as per the explanation.

Question 10)

Answer: Seasonings
Supporting Statement: In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail in order to try to find new seasonings and thus to make his fortune with this most desired commodity of that time.
Keyword : Sail, find new seasonings
Keyword Location: Paragraph E
Explanation: As per paragraph E, in 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail. This was in order to find new seasonings. Thus to make his fortune with this most desired commodity of that time. So, the correct answer is seasonings as per the explanation provided.

Question 11)

Answer: Flavor
Supporting Statement: The quality that people seek most of all in a food, its flavor, is usually present in a quantity too infinitesimal to be measured by any traditional culinary terms such as ounces or teaspoons.
Keyword : Quality, flavor
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Explanation: As per paragraph G, the flavor is the most important factor in food. It makes the most sophisticated dishes tasty. People rich or poor alike acquire the taste of their preference. So, the correct answer is Flavor.

Question 12-13

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from Reading Passage 1 for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 12-13 on your answer sheet

(12) We associate certain smells with the past as they are ……………

Answer: Inedible
Supporting Statement: The brain combines the complex smell signals from the epithelium with the simple taste signals from the tongue, assigns a flavor to what’s in your mouth, and decides if it’s something you want to eat.
Keyword : Brain combines, something you want to eat
Keyword Location: Paragraph B
Explanation: As per paragraph B The brain assigns a flavor to what is in your mouth, determines if it is edible or inedible, and does this by combining the complicated smell signals from the epithelium with the basic taste signals from the tongue.

(13) Modern technology is able to help determine the minute quantities of……………found in food.

Answer: Chemical aromas
Supporting Statement: Tastebuds offer a limited means of detection, however, compared with the human olfactory system, which can perceive thousands of different chemical aromas. Indeed, ‘flavor’ is primarily the smell of
gasses being released by the chemicals you’ve just put in your mouth. The aroma of food can be responsible for as much as 90% of its flavor.
Keyword : Tastebuds, aroma
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: As per paragraph A, it has been mentioned that tastebuds offer a limited means of detections. This is compared with the olfactory senses of human beings. The olfactory system can detect thousands of different chemical aromas. So, the correct answer is chemical aromas as per the explanation.

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