Question

What happens to plant cells when the concentration of salt outside the cell is greater than the concentration inside the cell?

OA. Water flows in until the cytoplasm pushes against the cell wall.
OB. Water flows in through the cell membrane until the cell bursts.
OC. The cell wall stops the flow of water across the cell membrane.
OD. Water flows out of the cell until the cytoplasm shrinks

Answer 1

When the concentration of salt outside the cell is greater than the concentration inside the cell, water flows out of the cell until the cytoplasm shrinks. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

This process is called plasmolysis. Plasmolysis occurs when plant cells are placed in a hypertonic solution, which means the solution outside the cell has a higher concentration of solutes (in this case, salt) than the solution inside the cell. As a result, water diffuses out of the cell, causing the cytoplasm to shrink and pull away from the cell wall. The cell membrane also pulls away from the cell wall, and the plant cell becomes flaccid.