A cell when dipped in 0.5 M sucrose solution has no effect but when the same cell is dipped in 0.5 M NaCl solution, it will
A. Increase in size
B. Decrease in size
C. Becomes turgid
D. Gets plasmolysed

Hint: Basically, a cell can be in three different types of solution. They are hypertonic solution, isotonic solution and hypotonic solution. All the three types of solution have different impacts on the solution because of osmosis. Osmosis is a process in which the solvent particles move from a region of lower concentration to a region of lower concentration through a semipermeable membrane.

Complete Answer:
1. Hypertonic solution: It is a solution in which the concentration of solute particles is more than the other solution. Eg: sugar and salt solution
2. Hypotonic solution: It is a type of solution in which has lower solute concentration compared to other solutions. Eg: tap water and pure water.
3. Isotonic solution: It is a solution which has the same solute concentration as that of the other solution. Eg: blood, 0.9% of salt solution.

- 0.5 M NaCl solution is hypertonic with respect to 0.5 M sucrose solution. 0.5 M Sucrose solution and the cell are isotonic with respect to each other and hence when a cell is placed in 0.5 M sucrose solution there is no effect on the cell.
- But the cell is hypotonic compared to the 0.5M NaCl solution ( hypertonic solution). Hence there is an osmotic potential that leads to the movement of water molecules from the cell to NaCl or salt solution through a semipermeable membrane.
- This results in the shrinkage of the cell. And this process in a plant where the cell loses its water content to hypertonic solution is called Plasmolysis.

Therefore the correct answer is both (B) Decrease in size (D) Gets plasmolysed(only if it is a plant cell).

Note: Remember that during plasmolysis, the cell shrinks, but there is no effect on the cell wall only in plants. Therefore when a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, they get plasmolysed and when other cells are placed in the hypertonic solution, they reduce in size.