What happens to a cell in a hypotonic environment?

• A. The cell stops functioning
• B. The cell remains the same
• C. The cell swells
• D. The cell shrinks

Answer: (C)

Osmosis is driven by differences in solute concentration across a membrane, causing water to move toward the side with lower water potential. In a hypotonic environment, the outside solution has fewer solutes (more water potential) than the inside of the cell, so water flows into the cell. As water enters, the cell swells because its volume increases. In animal cells this can lead to bursting if too much water comes in, while plant cells resist bursting due to their rigid cell wall and become turgid, which helps keep the plant upright. Because the key effect is water entering and the cell expanding, this is the correct outcome. The other options describe scenarios where water would not be entering (or would be leaving), which doesn’t match a hypotonic setting.