Q 01/05

Which basic taste did Kikunae Ikeda identify in 1908 while studying kombu broth?

A) Umami

B) Sour

C) Bitter

D) Salty

Answer · why

A) Umami

Ikeda's discovery led directly to the founding of Ajinomoto, which sold the world's first umami seasoning: monosodium glutamate.

Q 02/05

Roughly how many taste buds does the average human tongue carry?

A) 20,000-80,000

B) 2,000-8,000

C) 200,000-300,000

D) 500,000-1 million

Answer · why

B) 2,000-8,000

Each bud lives only about ten days before it is replaced, so your tongue is constantly rebuilding its own sensors.

Q 03/05

What is the average lifespan of a single taste bud?

A) About 10 hours

B) About 10 months

C) About 10 days

D) About 10 years

Answer · why

C) About 10 days

Taste receptor cells turn over quickly, which is why a burnt tongue recovers its sense of taste within a week or so.

Q 04/05

Which type of papillae, the most numerous on the tongue, contains no taste buds at all?

A) Fungiform

B) Foliate

C) Circumvallate

D) Filiform

Answer · why

D) Filiform

They give the tongue its rough texture; in cats they are so heavily keratinised that the tongue works like sandpaper.

Q 05/05

How many circumvallate (vallate) papillae does a typical human tongue have, arranged in a V at the back?

A) 8 to 12

B) 20 to 30

C) 40 to 60

D) 200 to 300

Answer · why

A) 8 to 12

They are the largest papillae and sit just in front of the terminal sulcus, the groove that divides the tongue into oral and pharyngeal parts.