Defense Language Aptitude Battery (DLAB) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

When a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, the concentration of solutes is higher outside the cell than inside it. As a result, water will move out of the cell in an attempt to balance the solute concentrations on both sides of the cell membrane. This movement of water out of the cell causes the cell to lose volume, leading to a decrease in its size. Consequently, the cell will shrink as it dehydrates, which is why this outcome is correctly identified.

In contrast, if a cell were in a hypotonic solution, it would absorb water and swell. The process of cell division is unrelated to the effects of hypertonic solutions, and a cell in an isotonic solution would remain unchanged because the concentrations of solutes are balanced.