Morrie has had a cold for five days, and his nose is so stuffy that he cannot smell anything. When he drinks his coffee, he finds that it is tasteless. What is the MOST likely reason for this?

Explanation: Morrie having no sense of taste from his coffee is due to the fact that he has a stuffy nose. This is because, the senses of taste and smell are connected and related since they employ the same types of receptors and are stimulated by molecules in solutions or air (they both use chemo receptors). Although, often times we assume taste and smell to be senses apart, they work together to create the perception of flavor/taste. A person’s perception of flavor is reduced (or cutoff) if they have congested nasal passages which means that if one’s sense of smell is not functional, then his sense of taste will be nonfunctional because of the relationship of the receptors in the nose and taste buds.