Rajat Singh was working as a supervisor in a stone quarry where rock, sand and gravel are extracted by techniques like digging, drilling and blasting. As the years rolled by, Rajat started facing a loss in hearing. The high decibel sounds had damaged a part of his internal ear, though the tympanic membrane was intact.
Name the sensory organ in the Cochlea which was damaged for Rajat Singh.
Topic: Organ of Corti
Answer
The ORGAN OF CORTI.
The organ of Corti lies on the basilar membrane inside the cochlea and carries the sensory HAIR CELLS. These convert the vibrations reaching them into nerve impulses, which the auditory nerve carries to the brain. It is therefore the actual receptor for hearing.
THE DETAIL THE QUESTION PLANTS: "though the tympanic membrane was intact". That sentence is there to rule out the obvious answer. The eardrum is undamaged, so the deafness cannot be conductive — the fault must lie further in, at the receptor itself. This is SENSORINEURAL deafness, and unlike a damaged eardrum it cannot be repaired, because hair cells do not regenerate.
Read such clauses carefully; examiners insert them to eliminate wrong answers, and noticing them tells you what is being asked.