Question

An animal cell with a solute potential of -1.2 bars is placed into an open beaker containing a solution with a solute potential of -3.8 bars. What is the resulting movement of water in this example? A) Water will move into the cell because the solution is hypotonic to the cell. B) Water will not move into nor out of the cell because the solution and the cell are isotonic. C) Water will move out of the cell because the beaker solution has a lower water potential than the cell. Eliminate D) Water will move into the cell because the cell has a higher water potential than the solution in the beaker.

Answer 1

Water will move out of the cell because the beaker solution has a lower water potential than the cell is the answer.

Thus Option C is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The way how a water moves from one point that is out of the cell to the another point that is into the cell is called as water potential. It depends on two factors, that is, the solute potential and pressure potential. The solute potential has an inverse relationship with the water potential.

If the solute potential is higher than water potential will be less and vice versa. So in this above mentioned experiment the solute potential of the cell is less than that of the solution so water will move out of the beaker as per the rule.