Human senses quiz
Checked on 11 November 2026
Question 1 of 10
Discover
What is the colored part of the eye called?
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The answer is The iris.
The iris is the colored ring of the eye, and it controls how much light the pupil lets in.
Discover
What is the dark opening in the center of the eye that lets light in?
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The answer is The pupil.
The pupil is a hole in the center of the iris that lets light reach the back of the eye.
Discover
The small bumps on your tongue hold tiny sensors for which sense?
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The answer is Taste.
Many of the small bumps on the tongue contain taste buds, which pick up the flavors in food.
Discover
Sound waves travel down the ear canal and make which thin part of the ear vibrate?
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The answer is The eardrum.
Sound waves travel through the ear canal to the eardrum, which vibrates and passes the sound inward.
Practise
Which snail-shaped, fluid-filled part of the inner ear turns sound into nerve signals?
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The answer is The cochlea.
The cochlea is a snail-shaped, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear where tiny hair cells sense sound.
Practise
Which cells in the retina give us color vision?
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The answer is Cones.
Cones are light-sensing cells in the retina that work in bright light and let us see colors.
Practise
Which basic taste is the savory flavor found in broths and cooked meats?
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The answer is Umami.
Umami is the savory taste, one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
Expert
Which Japanese scientist identified umami as a distinct taste in 1908?
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The answer is Kikunae Ikeda.
Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University found that glutamate gives the savory taste he named umami.
Expert
Which three fluid-filled loops in the inner ear tell your brain when your head turns?
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The answer is The semicircular canals.
The three semicircular canals in each inner ear sense head rotation and help with balance.
Expert
Cone cells are most concentrated in which small area near the center of the retina?
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The answer is The macula.
Cones are packed most tightly in the macula at the center of the retina, which helps us see fine details.