Final answer:
When placed in a hypertonic solution with a high concentration of sugar, red blood cells will lose water and shrink in a passive process termed as crenation.
Step-by-step explanation:
When sugar (or any solute) is added to the environment surrounding red blood cells, it can affect the osmotic balance. If the external solution is hypertonic, meaning it has a higher solute concentration than the interior of the red blood cells, water will move out of the cells into the surrounding solution. This is an example of osmosis, which is a type of passive transport. The cells will lose water and potentially shrivel up in a process called crenation. Conversely, if red blood cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, where the solute concentration is lower outside the cells than inside, water will enter the cells. This can lead to the cells swelling and eventually bursting in a process known as hemolysis. Osmosis is a natural process driven by the gradient in the concentration of solutes across a semipermeable membrane and does not require energy, making it passive rather than active transport.
Given the choices provided, the correct answer is C) The red blood cells lost water by osmosis, which is passive transport.