Final answer:
In a hypotonic situation, water enters the cell causing it to swell and potentially burst due to osmotic pressure.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a cell is placed in a hypotonic situation, where the extracellular fluid has less solute and more water compared to the cell's interior, water will enter the cell via osmosis. Due to the osmotic pressure gradient, water molecules move into the cell to equilibrate solute concentrations, resulting in the cell absorbing water and swelling. This condition can lead to the cell becoming turgid (in plants) due to a cell wall, or potentially bursting (lysis) in animal cells because they lack that rigid structure.