Question

Salt water is a _____ environment for a cell because the concentration of salt is greater outside the cell then inside it

A: Isotonic
B: Dissolved
C: Hypertonic
D: Hypotonic

Answer 1

Hypertonic

Step-by-step explanation:

The hypertonic environment is an environment in which the number of solute (salt) particles outside the cell are greater than their number inside. In other words, if the extracellular fluid has a higher salt concentration than the cell’s internal environment (cytoplasm), the condition is called as hypertonic. The word "hyper" means "greater".

In a hypertonic environment, water from the cell's internal environment moves outside the cell to dilute the outer concentration. This is because of fundamental principles of homeostasis where maintenance of internal environment with respect to the external environment is very crucial.

In contrast to the hypertonic environment is the hypotonic environment in which there is more salt concentration inside the cell than the outside. Thus, water will move inside the cell to dilute it further. This condition sometimes leads to bursting of the cell because of continuous water movement inside the cell.