Question

A cell with a fully elastic wall is placed in a hypertonic solution. What will not happen?
A. Change in cell size and shape
B. The whole cell will shrink
C. Cytoplasm shrink from the cell wall and undergoes plasmolysis
D. Decrease in cell size.

Answer 1

Hint: When a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution it shows plasmolysis that is its protoplasm undergoes shrinkage due to loss of water.

Complete answer:Hypertonic solution is the solution where the concentration of solute is higher when compared to the concentration of cell sap that is placed in it. Osmosis is the process that involves movement of solvent molecules from a higher concentration to a lower concentration. When a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, a cell will lose water and shrink. A plant cell is surrounded by a very rigid cell wall, so a cell shrinks but by slowly losing water plasma membrane moving away from the cell wall and this process is known as plasmolysis. When the hypertonic solution is very much concentrated, the cell becomes more plasmolysed and afterwards, the gap is filled with the external solution between the cell and cell membrane. So, when a cell with a fully elastic wall is placed in hypertonic solution, then option C will not happen.

Hence the correct option is C i.e. Cytoplasm shrinks from the cell wall and undergoes plasmolysis.

Note:In a hypertonic solution, water in the cells are drawn out by the process called osmosis. A hypertonic solution is that type of solution which has greater concentration of solutes in the outside when a cell is placed in it as compared with the inside of the cell.