Final answer:
Drinking salt water creates a hypertonic environment outside cells, causing them to lose water and shrink due to osmosis. The correct answer is B) It shrinks.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you drink salt water, the balance of water and salt changes. Salt water is a hypertonic solution compared to the intracellular fluid inside cells, meaning the concentration of salt is greater outside of the cell. According to the principles of osmosis, water moves from areas of low solute concentration to areas of high solute concentration in order to achieve equilibrium.
In the case of drinking salt water, water will exit the cell to try to dilute the external saltier environment, causing the cell to shrink. This process, known as plasmolysis in plant cells, is when the cell membrane pulls away from the cell wall due to loss of water. For animal cells, it can lead to cell dehydration and impair cell function.
Thus, the correct answer to the question is B) It shrinks. This is because the hypertonic condition of the salt water environment outside the cell causes water to leave the cell, leading to cell shrinkage. In such hypertonic environments, marine animals and human blood cells have evolved mechanisms to maintain proper osmolarity to avoid cell damage.