Answer:
A plant cell exposed to a medium that is hypertonic with respect to its cytoplasm will be seen under the microscope smaller or contracted with respect to a normal cell.
Explanation:
The options for this question and the correct answer can be seen in the picture.
A plant cell that is placed in a solution with less water concentration with respect to its cytoplasm -which is the same as saying with more solute concentration- will lose water and decrease in volume. In the image it can be seen that the cell wall (rigid) remains with its original shape, while the cell acquires a rounded shape.
The effect of the solution on the cell is due to the phenomenon of osmosis, where water moves -through a semi-permeable membrane- from a place where there is a lower concentration of solutes to another place with a higher concentration, until it reaches equilibrium.
In the picture, the highlighted image is of a normal plant cell, and the diagram that best illustrates how the plant cell will appear after being placed in a solution that has a lower water concentration than the cell is marked in red.
