Question

A cell has a selectively permeable membrane and an internal sugar concentration of 0.02 M for both sucrose and glucose. The cell is placed in an aqueous solution that has a 0.015 M concentration for sucrose and a 0.025 M glucose concentration. Which statement is true about the cell?

A. Glucose will diffuse out of the cell.
B. Sucrose will diffuse into the cell.
C. The cell must actively transport glucose out of the cell.
D. The cell must actively transport sucrose into the cell

Answer 1

The correct statement about the cell placed in a solution with different external sugar concentrations is that sucrose will diffuse into the cell down its concentration gradient, which is a passive process. The correct option is b.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question pertains to how substances like sucrose and glucose would behave when a cell with a certain internal concentration for these sugars is placed in an external solution with different concentrations of the same sugars. Since the cell has a selectively permeable membrane, it allows certain substances to pass through while blocking others.

In this scenario, the external solution has a higher concentration of glucose (0.025 M) compared to inside the cell (0.02 M). According to the principles of osmosis and diffusion, glucose will diffuse out of the cell down its concentration gradient. This is a passive process and does not require energy. On the other hand, the concentration of sucrose outside the cell (0.015 M) is lower than inside (0.02 M), so sucrose will diffuse into the cell, also down its concentration gradient. Again, this is a passive process and does not require energy. Therefore, the correct statement about the cell is B. Sucrose will diffuse into the cell.