Question

A wooden peg inserted in a rock causes its breaking during the rainy season. It is due to the development of

• A. turgor pressure
• B. osmotic pressure
• C. imbibition pressure
• D. plasmolysis

Answer 1

The correct option is C imbibition pressure

Imbibition is the absorption of water or any other solvent (like ether by rubber) by solid particles without forming a solution. This increases its volume and does not form a solution. The swollen imbibant (i.e., the solid substances) also develops a pressure called imbibition pressure. So, wooden pegs which were inserted in rocks and got wet during the rainy season develop huge imbibition pressure that breaks the rocks into pieces.

Turgor Pressure (TP) is the pressure exerted by the swelling protoplast on its walls due to the osmotic entry of water into it.

The pressure that is required to prevent water from diffusing or undergoing osmosis in spite of a difference in water potentials, is called osmotic pressure (OP).

Plasmolysis is the shrinking of the protoplasm when the cell is placed in a hypertonic solution due to exosmosis.