Question at position 83 You notice that your cactus is looking quite poorly. You discover that your roommate, who is not as diligent a student as you, has been weeping on it every night. You know that tears are salty and thus the cactus has been watered with a solution that is ______ in comparison to cytoplasmic fluid, and cells are becoming ______.hypotonic, plasmolyzedhypertonic, plasmolyzedhypotonic, turgidhypertonic, turgid

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

First, let's restate the key details to anchor our reasoning: the question describes a salty solution being added to a cactus, making the surrounding solution more concentrated than the cytoplasmic fluid, and asks what state the solution and the cell would be in.
Option A: hypotonic, plasmolyzed. A hypotonic solution is less concentrated than the cytoplasm, which would cause water to move into the cell, making it swell or become turgid, not plasmolyzed. So this pairing is inconsistent with a salty external environment and plasmolysis.
Option B: hypertonic, plasmolyzed. A hypertonic solution has higher solute concentration than the cytoplasm, pulling water out of the cell. This loss of water typically causes the plasma membrane to pull away from the cell wall, a condition known as plasmolysis. This aligns with the description of a salty (high solute) environment causing water loss and plasmolysis.
Option C: hypotonic, turgid. As mentioned, hypotonic environments lead to water entering the cell, increasing turgor pressure in plant cells; however, in a salty solution this would not occur. Thus hypotonic is incorrect for the external salty condition, and turgid is not expected under hyperosmotic stress.
Option D: hypertonic, turgid. While hypertonic conditions are correct for the external salty environment, plasmolysis rather than turgidity is the expected cellular response in plant cells under water efflux. Turgidity implies swelling and rigidity from water uptake, not loss.
To summarize the logical fit: the external solution being salty makes it hypertonic relative to the cytoplasm, which drives water out of the cell and leads to plasmolysis. The option that matches this combination is hypertonic, plasmolyzed, while the other options pair incorrect tonicities with cellular outcomes that do not correspond to a hypertonic, plasmolyzing scenario.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

When water moves into red blood cells placed in a hypotonic environment, they will _____.

When soaked in a hypertonic solution, water will move ____ the red blood cells.

When water moves into red blood cells placed in a hypotonic environment, they will

When water moves into potato cells soaked in a hypotonic solution, they will become _____.

When soaked in a hypotonic solution, water will move ____ the red blood cells.

When soaked in a hypertonic solution, water will move ____ potato cells.

When soaked in an isotonic solution, water will move ____ the Elodea cells.

What type of solution will cause an Elodea cell to become turgid?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler