Which one of the following will happen if the medium surrounding the c

Which one of the following will happen if the medium surrounding the cell has a higher concentration than the cell ?

The cell will gain water
The cell will die
There will be no change
The cell will lose water
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2019
If a cell is placed in a medium with a higher solute concentration than its cytoplasm (a hypertonic solution), water will move out of the cell into the surrounding medium by osmosis.
– Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration (or from higher water potential to lower water potential).
– A hypertonic solution has a higher solute concentration and thus a lower water potential compared to the cell.
– Water moves from the cell (higher water potential) to the hypertonic medium (lower water potential).
If the surrounding medium had a lower concentration (hypotonic), the cell would gain water. If the concentration were equal (isotonic), there would be no net change in water movement. Losing water in a hypertonic solution can cause the cell to shrink (crenation in animal cells, plasmolysis in plant cells). Extreme water loss can lead to cell death, but the immediate effect described is water loss.
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