Question

If blood cells are placed in a hypertonic solution, ___________a. the cells will shrink due to water loss by the cell. b. the cells will be unaffected since they have a cell membrane to separate them from the solution. c. the cells will swell due to diffusion. the cells will burst due to active transport. d. the cells will shrink due to the loss of solutes from the blood cell.

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is option a. "the cells will shrink due to water loss by the cell".

Explanation:

Cells placed in a hypertonic solution will shrink due to water loss by the cell. An hypertonic solution has a high content of solutes dissolved, which makes it a solution with high tonicity. Water tends to move from a solution of low tonicity to a solution with high tonicity. As a result, cells placed in a hypertonic solution will start to loss their inner water and shrink, which causes its death.