Question

An unripe mango placed in a concentrated salt solution to prepare pickle, shrivels because _____________.

• A. it loses water due to reverse osmosis.
  
• B. it gains water due to osmosis.
  
• C. it loses water due to osmosis.
  
• D. it gains water due to reverse osmosis.
  

Answer 1

The correct option is C it loses water due to osmosis.


Osmosis

The spontaneous flow of solvent particles from solvent side to solution side or from solution of low concentration side to solution of high concentration side through a semi-permeable membrane (SPM) is known as osmosis.

Due to osmosis, water inside mango
(lower concentration) moves outside in a concentrated salt solution
(higher concentration).

Unripe mango has a higher concentration of water, and salt solution has a lower concentration of water. Thus, water flows from mango to salt solution due to osmosis. As a result, mango shrivels.

Hence, option (D) is correct.