Matching osmosis results to salt concentrations

Steps:

• Observe mass or length changes in samples Y and Z after immersion to identify isotonic points.
• Compare Y's greater shrinkage to higher salt concentration row R.
• Compare Z's lesser shrinkage to lower salt concentration row P.
• Select row pair R P as the match for Y and Z respectively.

Why D is correct:

• In osmosis, greater mass loss indicates immersion in hypertonic solution; row R (higher concentration) fits Y's result, row P (lower) fits Z's, per the osmosis law of water movement from hypotonic to hypertonic regions.

Why the others are wrong:

• A reverses order, assigning lower Q to Y despite its higher shrinkage.
• B pairs P (low) with R (high), mismatching Y's need for higher concentration.
• C pairs both mid-to-high, ignoring Z's match to lowest P.

Final answer: D