The Special Senses Practice Test 2025 - Free Special Senses Practice Questions and Study Guide

The category of senses that includes smell, taste, vision, hearing, and equilibrium is known as the special senses. These senses are considered "special" because they have specific organs and structures dedicated to them. For example, olfactory receptors in the nose are responsible for the sense of smell, while taste buds on the tongue allow for the detection of taste. Vision is facilitated by the eyes, hearing is made possible through the ears, and the sense of equilibrium involves the structures within the inner ear.

In contrast, somatic senses pertain to sensations originating from the skin or deeper tissues, such as touch, temperature, and pain. General senses encompass a broader range of sensory modalities that are more widely distributed in the body, lacking specialized organs. Proprioceptive senses are a specific subset of general senses, focused on the awareness of body position and movement. Thus, the classification of smell, taste, vision, hearing, and equilibrium as special senses is based on their reliance on specific sensory organs that provide acute and specialized functions.