Consider the following statements about osmosis in everyday life.
(A) People taking a lot of salt or salty food experience water retention in tissue cells and intercellular spaces because of osmosis.
(B) A carrot that has become limp because of water loss into the atmosphere becomes firm again when placed in water, as water moves out of its cells.
(C) Water movement from soil into plant roots and subsequently into the upper portion of the plant is partly due to osmosis.
(D) When placed in water containing more than 0.9% (mass/volume) salt, blood cells swell due to flow of water into them.
Which of the statements given above are correct? Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → (A) and (C) only
In osmosis water moves through a semipermeable membrane from the less concentrated side to the more concentrated side. Each statement is judged by asking which side is more concentrated.
(A) People taking a lot of salt or salty food experience water retention in tissue cells and intercellular spaces because of osmosis. — True. The resulting puffiness or swelling is called edema.
(B) A carrot that has become limp because of water loss into the atmosphere becomes firm again when placed in water, as water moves out of its cells. — False. The carrot becomes firm because water moves into its cells, not out of them.
(C) Water movement from soil into plant roots and subsequently into the upper portion of the plant is partly due to osmosis. — True. Osmosis is one of the reasons water rises from the soil into the plant.
(D) When placed in water containing more than 0.9% (mass/volume) salt, blood cells swell due to flow of water into them. — False. Blood cells swell in water containing less than 0.9% salt. In a solution with more than 0.9% salt, water flows out of the cells and they shrink.
NCERT (2026-27 edition):
1.6.4 Osmosis and Osmotic Pressure – “…A carrot that has become limp because of water loss into the atmosphere can be placed into the water making it firm once again. Water will move into its cells through osmosis. When placed in water containing less than 0.9% (mass/ volume) salt, blood cells swell due to flow of water in them by osmosis. People taking a lot of salt or salty food experience water retention in tissue cells and intercellular spaces because of osmosis. The resulting puffiness or swelling is called edema. Water movement from soil into plant roots and subsequently into upper portion of the plant is partly due to osmosis.”
“…if we place the cells in a solution containing more than 0.9% (mass/ volume) sodium chloride, water will flow out of the cells and they would shrink.”