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On the nose – a quick quiz

By Fiona, 2 March 2022 Quiz

By Fiona Midson and Beth Askham

Here is a sweet quiz to test your olfactory knowledge. Can you score 5 out of 5 and come up smelling like roses?

#1. By what common name are the ‘nares’ known?

Eyebrows

Eyebrows

Nostrils

Nostrils

Armpits

Armpits

Tonsils

Tonsils

Your nares are your nostrils.

#2. Apples belong to the same family as which of the following?

Roses

Roses

Lavender

Lavender

Daffodils

Daffodils

Lilies

Lilies

Apples and roses come from the same family, Rosaceae.

#3. Phantosmia affects your sense of smell, but what is it?

An enhanced sense of smell

An enhanced sense of smell

Identifying a smell that isn’t there

Identifying a smell that isn’t there

The loss of sense of smell

The loss of sense of smell

Phantosmia is the medical name for a smell hallucination.

#4. Which of these acids gives vinegar its sour taste and pungent smell?

Tartaric acid

Tartaric acid

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid

Carbonic acid

Carbonic acid

Acetic acid

Acetic acid

Acetic acid is also known as ethanoic acid.

#5. According to astronauts, space stinks. What does it smell of?

Rotten eggs and marzipan

Rotten eggs and marzipan

Ammonia and urine

Ammonia and urine

Walnuts and brake pads

Walnuts and brake pads

Some astronauts have likened the smells of space to walnuts and brake pads.

Was I right?

Results

Congratulations! You are a real science whiz!

Oh dear! Better brush up before the next quiz!

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