Question

A student placed raisins in a glass of water for several hours. Later, he found that the raisins had swollen and were bigger than before. He hypothesized that this increase in the size of raisin can be regarded as the growth of raisin. Which of the following reasons will nullify the hypothesis?

• A. Growth is an external increase in the mass in living organisms
• B. Growth need not be accompanied by any metabolic reactions in living organisms
• C. Growth occurs at the expense of energy and is a result of metabolic processes
• D. Growth is only accompanied by an increase in the area of the cell

Answer 1

The correct option is C Growth occurs at the expense of energy and is a result of metabolic processes

Growth is defined as the irreversible increase in the size of an organ, its part, or an individual cell. Growth is a result of various metabolic processes happening inside a body or a cell. It occurs at the expense of some amount of energy. An example of growth is the increase in the length of a tree. Swelling of a raisin is not considered as growth as it may increase the volume of the raisin but it is not accompanied by metabolic processes. It is a result of endosmosis.
Growth is considered intrinsic and not external as it is characterized by an increase in the cell size or number of cells inside an organism.