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Osmosis quiz

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  • What is osmosis?
    Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane from areas of high water concentration to low water concentration.
  • How does osmosis differ from general diffusion?
    Osmosis specifically refers to the movement of water, while diffusion can involve any substance moving from high to low concentration.
  • What is a semipermeable membrane?
    A semipermeable membrane allows some substances to cross while preventing others from crossing.
  • What is osmotic pressure?
    Osmotic pressure is the pressure required to prevent the flow of water during osmosis and measures the strength of osmosis.
  • What does tonicity refer to?
    Tonicity refers to the relative concentrations of solutes dissolved in solutions, not the solvent concentration.
  • What is an isotonic solution?
    An isotonic solution has the same solute concentration as another solution, resulting in equal water flow in both directions.
  • What is a hypotonic solution?
    A hypotonic solution has a lower solute concentration and higher water concentration compared to another solution.
  • What is a hypertonic solution?
    A hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration and lower water concentration compared to another solution.
  • In which direction does water move during osmosis?
    Water always moves from hypotonic solutions toward hypertonic solutions across a semipermeable membrane.
  • What happens to animal cells in a hypotonic environment?
    Animal cells swell and may lyse (burst) because water flows into the cell from the hypotonic environment.
  • Why do plant cells not lyse in hypotonic solutions?
    Plant cells have cell walls that prevent membrane expansion, so they gain turgor pressure instead of lysing.
  • What is turgor pressure?
    Turgor pressure is the water pressure pushing the cell membrane against the cell wall, helping plants maintain their structure.
  • What happens to cells in a hypertonic environment?
    Cells lose water, dehydrate, and shrink because water moves out of the cell toward the hypertonic environment.
  • Which environment is preferred by animal cells?
    Animal cells prefer isotonic environments, where water flows equally in and out, maintaining cell size and function.
  • Which environment is preferred by plant cells and why?
    Plant cells prefer hypotonic environments because increased turgor pressure helps them maintain their structure.