Question

The process by which water is absorbed by solids, like colloids causing them to increase in volume is called as
A) Osmosis
B) Plasmolysis
C) Imbibition
D) Diffusion
E) Facilitated diffusion

Answer 1

Hint: An example where water is absorbed by solids, like colloids which causes them to increase their volume is absorption of water by seeds and dry wood. It is a special type of diffusion that takes place when water is absorbed by solids causing an enormous increase in volume.

Complete answer:
Imbibition is the process of absorption of water by the solid surface like colloids. The solution is not formed in this process. The increase in volume and amount of water absorbed depends on the nature of colloid or the adsorbing matrix and the solvent.
Water surface potential movement takes place along the concentration gradient, some dry materials absorb the water. For a substance to imbibe a liquid, there must be some attraction between them. The solid substances are referred to as imbibants while the imbibed liquid is referred to as imbibate.
Three conditions that are necessary for an imbibition are force of attraction between imbibant, water potential gradient between imbibition and imbibant and imbibe and imbibition increases with an increase in temperature.
Osmosis is a process by which a solvent passes through a semipermeable membrane from a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.
Plasmolysis is the contraction of the protoplast of a plant cell due to loss of water from the cell.
In simple diffusion particles move from a region of high concentration to low concentration whereas in facilitated diffusion particles move against the concentration gradient.

Therefore option C) is correct which is Imbibition.

Note:
Imbibition occurs when a wetting fluid displaces a non-wetting fluid. The two processes are governed by different mechanisms. Note that imbibition is also a type of diffusion since water movement is along the concentration gradient. The seeds and other such materials have almost no water therefore they absorb the water easily.