Question

scent is tightly interwoven with our daily lives, often evoking significant memories and important social events. this connection is of growing interest to archaeologists who hope to use it to better understand ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine. although the speed at which odor molecules dissipate makes identifying ancient scents challenging, advancements in biomolecular technologies show promise in unlocking ancient aromas from preserved artifacts. archaeological studies making use of these advancements may provide new insights into past societies. according to the text, what is one reason some archaeologists are interested in recovering scents from ancient artifacts? choose 1 answer: a they are investigating whether peoples sense of smell has declined in recent centuries. b they believe the scents could illuminate important aspects of ancient life. c they hope to develop new medicines using ancient scent molecules. d they think that ancient scents would be enjoyable to people today.

Explanation:

The text states that archaeologists hope to use scent to better understand ancient rituals, trade, social hierarchies, and medicine. This means they believe scents could provide insights (illuminate) into important aspects (rituals, trade etc.) of ancient life. Option A about sense of smell decline is not mentioned. Option C about developing new medicines is not the main reason (the text says using it to understand medicine in past, not develop new). Option D about scents being enjoyable today is not the focus.

Answer:

B. They believe the scents could illuminate important aspects of ancient life.