Question

osmosis practice problems

1. if you soak your hands in dishwater, you may notice that your skin absorbs water and swells into distinct wrinkles. this is because your skin cells are ______ to the dishwater.

a. hypotonic, hypertonic
b. hypertonic, hypotonic
c. hypotonic, hypotonic
d. isotonic, hypotonic
e. hypertonic, isotonic

1. you decide to buy a new fish for your freshwater aquarium. when you introduce the fish into its new tank, the fish swells up and dies. you later learn that it was a fish from the ocean. based on what you know of tonicity, the most likely explanation is that unfortunate fish went from a(n) ____ solution into a(n) ____ solution.

a. isotonic, hypotonic
b. hypertonic, isotonic
c. hypotonic, hypertonic
d. hypotonic, isotonic

1. under each picture state if the rbc was placed in an isotonic, hypertonic, or hypotonic solution.
2. in osmosis, water always moves toward the __ solution: that is, toward the solution with __ solute concentration.

a. isotonic, greater
b. hypertonic, greater
c. hypertonic, lesser
d. hypotonic, greater
e. hypotonic, lesser

Explanation:

1. When hands soak in dish - water and skin absorbs water, skin cells are hypertonic to the dish - water (water moves into the hypertonic cells).
2. Ocean fish are adapted to a hypertonic environment (ocean water). When put into freshwater (hypotonic), water moves into the fish causing it to swell.
3. In the first RBC picture, equal water movement indicates isotonic; in the second, water moving in indicates hypotonic; in the third, water moving out indicates hypertonic.
4. In osmosis, water moves towards the hypertonic solution (the solution with greater solute concentration).

Answer:

1. b. hypertonic, hypotonic
2. b. hypertonic, hypotonic
3. First: isotonic; Second: hypotonic; Third: hypertonic
4. b. hypertonic, greater