Question

Given below is the diagram of an apparatus set up to study a very important physiological process:

1. Name the process being studied.
2. Explain the process.
3. What change would you observe in the thistle funnel containing sugar solution after about 10 minutes?
4. Is sugar solution hypertonic or hypotonic?
5. Name the part of the plant cell which is represented by the sugar solution.
6. Explain why more salt is added to pickles.

Answer 1

1. Osmosis
2. Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules from a region of their higher concentration (pure water in the beaker) to a region of their lower concentration (sugar solution in the funnel) across a semi-permeable membrane.
3. The level of the liquid inside the tube of the thistle funnel will rise.
4. Hypertonic, as it contains a higher concentration of solute/sugar compared to the plain water outside.
5. Cell sap inside the vacuole.
6. 1. Excess salt creates a hypertonic solution outside.
   2. This draws moisture out of contaminating bacteria or fungi through exosmosis.
   3. The lack of water kills these microbes, thereby preserving the pickle from spoiling.