Which of these statements accurately describes the receptors involved in this sense?

• A. They detect pain, heat, cold, and pressure
• B. They detect light and color
• C. They detect chemical tastes
• D. They detect sound waves

Answer: (A)

Touch relies on a variety of receptors in the skin that respond to different physical and thermal stimuli. Pain receptors (nociceptors) signal potential damage, thermoreceptors detect heat and cold, and mechanoreceptors respond to mechanical stimuli like pressure and texture. Together they form the skin's somatic sense. The other options describe receptors for different senses: photoreceptors detect light and color in the eye, gustatory receptors detect chemical tastes on the tongue, and hair cells in the inner ear detect sound waves. So the statement that these receptors detect pain, heat, cold, and pressure best describes the receptors involved in this sense.