The words male and female are used as classifications (such as in anthropology, or medicine), and they can be used as adjectives as readily as nouns. The words man and woman are more personal descriptors of individuals.
When using these words to describe the subjects of a scientific study, we might find either of these:
•The control group consisted of 26 female and 18 male patients.
•The control group consisted of 26 women and 18 men.
You are right about how your second example sentence sounds "off", but that's because you've mixed the two words:
•The woman pointed the gun at the man. (sounds normal)
•The female pointed the gun at the man. (sounds awkward)
•The woman pointed the gun at the male. (also sounds awkward)
•The female pointed the gun at the male. (sounds acceptable)
However, context could very well override that general guidance. Some of the sentences I've labeled as awkward may sound funny on their own, but they could be just fine in the middle of a lengthy testimony during a courtroom trial, where a long series of questions has set up a scene - i.e., something like this:
"What did you see in the room?"
"There was a woman with a gun, and two people in the doorway."
"Could you tell if those two people were male or female?"
"Yes."
"And what did you notice?"
"There was one male, and one female."
"And what happened next?"
"The woman pointed the gun at the female."
I think that last sentence reads just fine in that context, because the preceding dialog has made it rather easy to follow along.
Contrasting "a distinctive smell ... " to "a distinct smell....".
The former means that the smell is different from other smells. The latter means the smell is easily sensed. So, in a situation where there are many competing odors, a distinctive smell might not be distinct. For example, in a room where a lot of people are wearing perfume, each perfume is likely to be distinctive, but they would not be distinct.
Best Answer
All cars on the parking lot means, every single car. No car is being excluded in the previous example. Any car on the parking lot means, any specific car on the parking lot, but not every single one of them.
They define a different way of looking at a collection of things, ideas or objects.
Note that I say "Any car", as I am referring to a single car and not several or more.
Your specific question requires more of a context to answer properly. I cannot provide your answer right now, but I will explain any vs. all below as best I can.
"I want any of the food on the table", makes me picky.
"I want all of the food on the table", makes me greedy.
Use any for a specific instance of a group, any kid, any bus, any car, any word, any answer, and use all to mention every instance of a collection.