Tom is a 45-year-old male that has lost his ability to hear high frequency sounds. the most likely explanation for this would be

a. damage to the hair cells near the oval window in the cochlear duct
b. an overgrowth of bony tissue, fusing the ossicles together
c. a perforated tympanic membrane
d. a middle ear infection

A. damage to the hair cells near the oval window in the cochlear duct

Explanation:

High frequency sounds are sounds received  from the range between  2,000 to 8,000 Hertz (Hz). Hearing impairment which causes inability to hear sounds within this range is termed as High Frequency Hearing Loss.

This situation occurs when sensory hearing cells also known as stereocilia within the ear's cochlea are damaged or dead. The role of the hairs cells are to create electrical impulses from the sounds that are collected by ears.

it provides an alternative energy pathway for the reaction to proceed.

a catalyst is a substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction but is not consumed during the course of the reaction.

catalysts increase the rate of reaction without being used up. they do this by lowering the activation energy needed. with a catalyst, more collisions result in a reaction, so the rate of reaction increases. different reactions need different catalysts.

a catalyst works by providing an alternative reaction pathway to the reaction product. the rate of the reaction is increased as this alternative route has a lower activation energy than the reaction route not mediated by the catalyst.