A plant cell if placed in distilled water will

Options

A. Shrink
B. Swell up
C. Not change its shape or size
D. Burst immediately

Answer

To solve the question "A plant cell if placed in distilled water will...", we need to understand the concepts of osmosis and the behavior of plant cells in different environments. Here's a step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understand Osmosis
Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration. In this case, we are dealing with a plant cell and distilled water.

**Hint:** Remember that osmosis involves the movement of water, not solutes.

### Step 2: Analyze the Plant Cell's Environment
A plant cell contains cytoplasm, which has a higher concentration of solutes (like salts and other molecules) compared to distilled water, which is considered pure water and has a very low concentration of solutes.

**Hint:** Compare the solute concentration inside the plant cell with that of distilled water.

### Step 3: Determine the Direction of Water Movement
Since the distilled water has a lower concentration of solutes compared to the inside of the plant cell, water will move from the distilled water (low solute concentration) into the plant cell (high solute concentration) through osmosis.

**Hint:** Think about where the water will go based on the concentration gradient.

### Step 4: Predict the Effect on the Plant Cell
As water enters the plant cell, it will cause the cell to swell. Plant cells have a rigid cell wall that provides structure and prevents them from bursting, allowing them to accommodate the increased volume of water.

**Hint:** Consider how the cell wall affects the plant cell's response to swelling.

### Step 5: Conclusion
Therefore, when a plant cell is placed in distilled water, it will swell up due to the influx of water.

**Final Answer:** A plant cell, if placed in distilled water, will swell up.

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