Question

Match the type of solution to the effect it produces on the cell.

• A. Cell bursts
• B. Cell shrinks
• C. Cell size unchanged

Answer 1

Water moves from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration. In a hypertonic solution, the water concentration inside the cell is more than the concentration of water outside the cell hence, the cell shrinks. In a hypotonic solution, the opposite happens which causes the cell to swell. The concentration of water is the same inside and outside the cell in an isotonic solution hence, the size remains unchanged.