Which flavors are tested for taste during cranial nerve VII testing?

• A. Bitter, sour, and salty
• B. Sweet, salty, or sour
• C. Umami, sweet, and sour
• D. Umami, bitter, and sour

Answer: (B)

When testing the facial nerve’s role in taste, you’re probing the anterior two-thirds of the tongue, which receive taste signals primarily through the chorda tympani branch of the facial nerve. The flavors most commonly tested from that region are sweet, salty, and sour, because those tastes are detected by taste buds on the anterior tongue and carried by CN VII. Bitter taste is mainly associated with the posterior tongue and the glossopharyngeal nerve, while umami is not reliably assessed in standard CN VII testing. So the best answer reflects those typical anterior-tongue flavors: sweet, salty, or sour.