When Senses Collide: The Puzzle of Synesthesia

Synesthesia is a rare neurological condition in which stimulation of one sense (1) …1. A — sustains1. B — replicates1. C — incites1. D — triggers an involuntary experience in another. For instance, some synesthetes report that numbers appear intrinsically coloured, while others insist that certain words (2) …2. A — instil2. B — arouse2. C — provoke2. D — evoke a distinct taste on the tongue. The condition has increasingly (3) …3. A — captured3. B — clutched3. C — snatched3. D — grasped the imagination of neuroscientists eager to understand how the brain's sensory pathways interact. Researchers once dismissed such accounts as fanciful, but brain-imaging studies have since (4) …4. A — theorized4. B — confirmed4. C — contested4. D — suspected that synesthetic perceptions are genuine, not merely metaphorical. (5) …5. A — Meanwhile5. B — Otherwise5. C — Specifically5. D — Nevertheless, imaging shows unusual cross-activation between regions that are normally quite separate. It is often assumed that synesthesia is a disorder to be corrected; (6) …6. A — moreover6. B — however6. C — meanwhile6. D — therefore, many synesthetes regard their heightened perception as a gift rather than a burden, one that is often said to (7) …7. A — cook7. B — conjure7. C — make7. D — dream up strikingly vivid imagery when they create. Indeed, several celebrated composers and painters are believed to have (8) …8. A — harnessed8. B — entertained8. C — fostered8. D — indulged synesthetic associations when producing their most original works.