Osmosis effects on plant cells in sugar solutions

Steps:

• Cells have identical cytoplasmic water potential; sugar solutions vary in concentration, affecting external water potential.
• In 10% solution (hypertonic), water exits cells, causing plasmolysis (shrunken cytoplasm, cell X).
• In 5% solution (isotonic or near), minimal water movement, cells remain turgid (cell Y).
• In 2.5% solution (hypotonic), water enters cells, increasing turgor pressure (swollen vacuole, cell Z).
• Observations after 50 minutes confirm statements 1 (plasmolysis in X), 2 (turgor in Y), and 3 (increased turgor in Z).

Why A is correct:

• All three statements align with osmosis principle: net water movement equalizes potentials across semi-permeable membranes.

Why the others are wrong:

• B omits statement 3, ignoring hypotonic effects on cell Z.
• C omits statement 2, overlooking balanced conditions for cell Y.
• D omits statement 1, neglecting hypertonic plasmolysis in cell X.

Final answer: A