Question

Which of the following describes a cell's reaction to being placed in a hypertonic solution?

A) the cell will shrink as water is pulled out of the cell to equalize the concentrations inside and outside the cell

B) the cell will swell as water is pulled into the cell to equalize the concentrations inside and outside the cell

C) the cell will remain the same size since the concentrations inside and outside the cell are equal to begin with

D) the pH inside the cell will drop in order to equalize the pH inside and outside the cell

Answer 1

When placed in a hypertonic solution, a cell will shrink as water leaves it to balance solute concentrations between the inside and outside of the cell.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, which means that the solution has a higher concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the cell, the reaction of the cell can be described as follows: the cell will shrink as water is pulled out of the cell to equalize the concentrations inside and outside the cell.

This occurs because water moves across the cell membrane by osmosis from the area of lower solute concentration (inside the cell) to the area of higher solute concentration (outside the cell). This loss of water leads to the cell shrinking and shriveling, a process known as crenation in animal cells or plasmolysis in plant cells.