The diagram below represents what occurred when an onion cell and a red blood cell were placed in distilled (pure) water.

Question

Which of the following BEST explains the results shown in the diagram above?

Question 1 options:

The onion cells do not have a cell wall that protects them from bursting.

The onion cells have a cell membrane, which protects them from bursting.

The red blood cells have a cell wall, which does not protect them from bursting.

The red blood cells only have a cell membrane, which does not protect them from bursting.

Answer 1

To correctly answer the question, we need to consider the cellular structures and how they react to being placed in distilled (pure) water.

1. Onion cells have both a cell wall and a cell membrane. The cell wall provides rigidity and structure, which helps prevent the cells from bursting when placed in a hypotonic solution (like pure water).

2. Red blood cells, on the other hand, only have a cell membrane without a cell wall. When placed in pure water, they can take in water via osmosis, which can cause them to swell and potentially burst because there is no cell wall to provide structural support.

Given this information, the best option from your choices is:

The red blood cells only have a cell membrane, which does not protect them from bursting.

This option correctly explains why red blood cells are more susceptible to bursting when placed in distilled water compared to onion cells, which have the protective structure of a cell wall.