Although most animals and some plants detect and respond to

Last updated: 7/8/2022

Although most animals and some plants detect and respond to sound vibrations, the precise sensitivity that we call hearing is rare in the living world. It is highly developed only in birds and mammals, and the same operational system applies in all vertebrate auditory systems. Sound waves cause a liquid within the organism's auditory apparatus to vibrate. These vibrations are picked up by receptors that transmit signals to nerve cells. These cells then communicate the sound to the brain. Humans can hear vibrational frequencies of 20 to 20,000 cycles per second; cats respond to frequencies of up to 50,000 cycles per second; and porpoises and bats pick up frequencies of 100,000 cycles per second. Which statement does the passage support? A. Humans have the best hearing of all animals. B. Cats and porpoises are adapted to hearing low frequencies. C. Ears are damaged by high frequencies. D. Some frequencies are beyond the human hearing range. E. Invertebrates have better "hearing" systems than vertebrates.