Final answer:
The passive movement of water through a plasma membrane from a region of high water concentration to one of low water concentration is known as osmosis. The correct option is D. osmosis
Step-by-step explanation:
The passive process in which water moves through the plasma membrane from an area of high water concentration to an area of low water concentration is called osmosis. Osmosis is a critical biological process, and it is a special case of diffusion. Water molecules will passively move across a semipermeable membrane to the side where there is a higher concentration of solute, which correlates to where there is a lower concentration of free water molecules.
This process does not require energy and involves water moving to equalize solute concentrations on both sides of the membrane. Although facilitated diffusion is a similar process where substances move across membrane channels down their concentration gradient, osmosis specifically refers to the diffusion of water. The correct option is D. osmosis