Predict what will happen to the cell in the beaker below and identify the term. Question 16 options:

The cell will shrink; hypertonic

The cell will swell; hypotonic

The cell will stay the same; isotonic

Nothing will happen in the beaker

The Cell Will Shrink

Hypertonic solutions have less water ( and more solute such as salt or sugar ) than a cell. Seawater is hypertonic. If you place an animal or a plant cell in a hypertonic solution, the cell shrinks, because it loses water ( water moves from a higher concentration inside the cell to a lower concentration outside ).