When an environment is hypotonic - meaning the cell has more solute, like salt, than the environment- what happens to the cell in this condition?

Question

responses
1) Water moves out of the cell, causing the cell to shrink
2) Nothing will happen because the cell is in equilibrium
3) Water moves into the cell, causing the cell to swell.
4) The cell membrane extends around the solute and take it out of the cell

Answer 1

In a hypotonic environment, where the environment has a lower concentration of solutes (like salt) compared to the inside of the cell, the following occurs:

3. Water moves into the cell, causing the cell to swell.

This is because water moves from areas of lower solute concentration (outside the cell) to areas of higher solute concentration (inside the cell) in an attempt to balance the concentrations, resulting in the cell potentially swelling and possibly bursting if too much water enters.