Final answer:
Olfaction is the only sensation received directly by the cerebrum, bypassing the thalamus and allowing a close link between memory and emotion. The correct option is 2) olfaction
Step-by-step explanation:
The only sensation that is received directly by the cerebrum is olfaction (smell). Among the five special senses - olfaction, gustation (taste), equilibrium (balance and body position), vision, and hearing - olfaction is unique.
When olfactory sensory cells in the nasal mucosa detect an odorant, they send signals first to the main olfactory bulb and then to the olfactory cortex and other locations in the brain, bypassing the thalamus, unlike the pathways for the other senses.
This direct pathway to the cerebrum allows the sense of smell to be closely linked with memory and emotion, which are processed in the cerebrum. The correct option is 2) olfaction