Final answer:
Fragrance cues are processed in the limbic system, which is responsible for emotional responses and memory associations related to smells.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the student's question is: Fragrance cues are processed in the part of the brain called the limbic system.
Smells are perceived through olfactory neurons which project to the olfactory bulb, located on the ventral surface of the frontal lobe. From there, signals are sent to several brain regions, bypassing the thalamus, which is the sensory relay for other senses. These olfactory signals have a direct path to the limbic system, which includes important structures like the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus. The limbic system is crucial for processing emotions and memory, making it responsible for the emotional responses and long-term memory associations triggered by smells.
The frontal lobe does contain the olfactory bulb and is involved in processing smells, but the associated emotional and memory responses to fragrances are functions of the limbic system, particularly the amygdala and the hippocampus. Thus, when dealing with the association of smells with long-term memory and emotion, the limbic system is the correct answer.