Question

An animal cell is placed into distilled water. Which best describes what will happen to the animal cell?

A. It will shrink and shrivel up.
B. It will begin to undergo mitosis.
C. It will increase in size until it ruptures.
D. It will be unaffected by the distilled water.

Answer 1

An animal cell placed in distilled water (hypotonic solution) will swell and eventually burst due to water entering through osmosis, as animal cells lack a rigid cell wall for protection.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an animal cell is placed into distilled water, which is a hypotonic solution, water will enter the cell due to osmosis. As the cell membrane offers little resistance to expansion but also cannot stretch indefinitely, the cell will swell and eventually burst (lyse). Therefore, the correct answer is C. It will increase in size until it ruptures. This principle applies to all cells without a rigid cell wall, such as animal cells. Unlike plant cells which can become turgid due to their cell wall, animal cells lack this protective structure. In hypotonic environments, animal cells are at risk of osmotic lysis, which ultimately compromises the cell's integrity and functions.