Key to the Review Question of Absorption by Roots

A. Multiple Choice
1. Imbibition
2. Hypertonic solution.
3. Turgidity
4. Grow downward into the soil.
5. Diffusion
6. A selectively permeable membrane in between.
7. Pure water
8. Hypertonic solution
9. Root pressure
10. It allows solvent to pass through freely but prevents the passage of the solute.
B. Very short answer type.
1. Name the following:-
a. Turgidity
b. Guttation ( This term will be explained in the next chapter)
c. Osmosis
d. Xylem
e. Endosmosis
f. Diffusion
g. Root pressure
2. Give equivalent term for the following:-
a. Turgor pressure
b. Flaccidity
c. Bleeding
3. Complete the following statements.
a. Inside
b. Transported inside against the concentration gradient.
c. Turgor movement
4. Fill in the blanks
a. Shrink
b. Water
c. Opposite
5. Match the following
Column I Column II
a. Xylem Upward flow of water
b. Phloem Downward flow of sap
c. Cell membrane Semi permeable
d. Root pressure Guttation
 e. Cell wall permeable
C. Short Answer Type.
1. Differentiate between.
a. Plasmolysis deplasmolysis
It is the phenomenon of the It is the recovery of a cell from
shrinkage of protoplasm and plasmolysed state to turgid state when
withdrawal of cell membrane placed in a hypotonic solution.
from the cell wall when a cell is In this the cell become turgid.
placed in a hypertonic solution
In this the cell become flaccid
b. Turgor Pressure Wall pressure
It is the pressure exerted by the It is the pressure exerted by the cell wall
cell content on the cell wall when on the cell content when the cell is in
the cell is in fully turgid condition. fully turgid condition.
c. Hypotonic solution Hypertonic solution
It is the solution in which the It is a solution in which the solute
solute concentration is less in concentration is much more than that of
comparison to the neighbouring the neighbouring solution.
solution. It is a concentrated solution therefore
It is a dilute solution therefore water moves into this solution.
water moves out of it.
d. Turgidity flaccidity
It is the condition of a cell that it It is the condition of a cell that the cell
cannot accommodate any more content is shrunken and the cell is no
water and the cell content is fully more tight when it is surrounded by a
distant when the cell is hypertonic solution.
surrounded by a hypotonic
solution.
2. Mention True or Flase and rewrite the statement.
i. False, Addition of ………because they turn flaccid.
ii. Flase, Cells that have lost …….. said to be plasmolysed.
iii. True
iv. False, The protoplasm shrinks ……..hypertonic solution.
v. False, The cell wall of the ……………freely permeable.
3. Mention whether the statements true or false.
a. False. Guttation is the loss of water in the form of droplet from the hydathodes
located on the leaf margin during the night, when the root pressure is high. But
bleeding is the loss of sap from cut or injured stem
b. True, this is due to imbibition and turgor pressure.
c. False, this is because water is conducted upward through the xylem which helps
the leaves of the plants to be in turgid condition.
d. False, Guttation is maximum at the night when the root pressure is high, soil is
well watered and stomata are closed.
 e. False, It is due to imbibition.
D. Descriptive type.
1. Two examples of turgor movements :- 1. Opening and closing of stomata, Movement
of the leaf of Mimosa pudica plant when it is touched.
2. Define the following.
a. Imbibition :- It is the absorption of water by hydrophilic substances in their dry
or semi dry state by surface attraction and swells up, when they come in contact
with water.
b. Diffusion:- It is the movement of solute/ solvent from their higher concentration
to their lower concentration when they come in direct contact and till the
concentration become equal.
c. Osmosis :- It is the movement of water from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic
solution through a semi permeable membrane till the concentration become
equal.
d. Osmotic Pressure :- It is the minimum pressure exerted in a solution to prevent
the entry of solvent into it through a semi permeable membrane.
e. Active transport :- It is the movement of salt or ions from their lower
concentration to their higher concentration through a living cell membrane by
spending energy in the form of ATP.
f. Tonicity :- It is the relative concentration of two liquid.
g. Root pressure :- It is the pressure exerted by the cortical cells of the root by cell
to cell endosmosis which pushes the water upward through the xylem vessels
3. Give reason.
a. If you sprinkle some common salt on grass growing on a lawn, it is killed at that
spot.
If we sprinkle some common salt on grass growing on a lawn causes the
Plasmolysis of grass cell as the soil water around the root becomes hypertonic.
This exosmosis finally leading the grass to death. Hence, after sprinkling some
common salt on grass growing on a lawn, it is killed at the spot.
b. If you uproot a plant from the soil, its leaves soon wilt.
This is because the turgidity of the leaf cells keeps the leaf straight and extended.
If a plant is uprooted, the leaves continue losing water by transpiration, but
there is no chance for absorbing water through the roots. This does not allow the
compensation for the loss of water by transpiration; hence the leaves loss their
turgidity and wilt soon.
c. It is better to transplant seedlings in a flower-bed in the evening and not in the
morning.
It is better to transplant seedlings in a flower-bed in the evening and not in the
morning. Because, in the morning heat is extensive which leads to high
transpiration rate but the newly planted seedling needs some time to get
 accustomed to the surrounding environment thus leading to a low root pressure
and thus leading to the wilting of the leaves and finally its death due to excessive
transpiration. But in the evening the roots of plant get sufficient time to adapt
with the new environment and transpiration is minimized as the stomata are
closed.
d. A plant cell when kept in a hypertonic salt solution for about 30 minutes turns
flaccid.
When a living cell, such as the cell of a leaf of an aquatic plant, is placed in fresh
water, it remains in a fully distended condition. Its plasma membrane remains in
close contact with the cell wall and presses against it is high. If this plant cell is
now kept in a hypertonic solution for 30 minutes, it will lose its distended
appearance, the cytoplasm will shrink and the plasma membrane will withdraw
from the cell wall due to exosmosis and cell become flaccid.
e. Potato cubes when placed in water become firm and increase in size.
Potato cubes when placed in water become firm and increase in size because,
cubes contain excess of salts and sugars as compared to the water in which the
cubes are placed. That means it has hypertonic salt concentration in it. Hence,
due to endosmosis, water from the surrounding enters the potato cubes making
them firm or turgid and increasing their size.
4. Mechanism of opening and closing of stomata.
Opening: - Guard cells are the only epidermal cell which has chloroplast. During the
day photosynthesis take place in them. The glucose thus formed dissolve in the cell
sap making it to be hypertonic. As a result water enters into the guard cell from the
neighbouring cell and it becomes turgid. As the outer wall of the guard cell is thin, it
will stretch out and the inner wall of guard cell is thick, it will bend down. Hence
stomata open.
Closing of stomata: - In the evening, when photosynthesis is ceased, the glucose will
be translocated from the guard cell to the neighbouring cell. This makes the cell sap
to be hypotonic. As a result water move out of the guard cell and guard cell lose its
turgidity. Thus stomata closed.
5. What is transpiration pull? How it is caused?
As the water is lost from the leaf surface by transpiration, more water molecules are
pulled up due to the tendency of water molecules to remain joined (cohesion), and
thus to produce a continuous column of water through the stem is called
transpiration pull. Transpiration pull is an important force which causes the ascent
of sap. The root pressure produced in the xylem that pulls the water from the roots
and soil.
E. Structured/Application/Skill Type.
1. A leaf cell of a water plant was placed in a liquid ……..
a. Flaccidity
b. Cell membrane
c. Hypertonic solution
d. Plant cell has cell wall but animal cell does not have
e.

2. The diagram given below represents an experimental set up ……

a. Osmosis
b. It is the movement of water from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution
through a semipermeable membrane till the concentration becomes equal.
c. The solution level in the thistle funnel will rise from the initial level.
d. Another set up in which distilled water is taken in the thistle funnel and in the
beaker.
Or use a rubber bladder instead of parchment paper.
e. 1 – cell sap, 2- cell membrane, 3 – soil water.
f. Egg membrane or animal bladder.
g. It helps in the ascent of sap in the plant, helps in the opening and closing of stomata,
and also helps the plant to be rigid.
3. The diagram below represent a layer of the epidermal cell showing …….
a. A = Cell wall, B = Cell membrane, C= Vacuole, D = Nucleus.
b. Osmosis/ endosmosis. It is the movement of water from a hypotonic solution to a
hypertonic solution through a semipermeable membrane till the concentration
becomes equal.
c. A (Cell wall) is freely permeable and B (Cell membrane) is semi permeable.
d.

4. Study the diagram given below …….. ( This question is actually suited to the chapter
transpiration. Therefore the answer suited to that topic is given below.)
a. Transpiration
b. It is the loss of water in the form of vapour from the aerial parts of the plants.
c. To prevent the loss of water by surface evaporation from the test tube.
d. 1. Falls down fast. 2. Fall low, 3. Fall fast.
e. High temperature, high intensity of light, high velocity of wind.
5. Three cylinders of potato were carefully dried on a blotting paper …….
a. The potato cube placed in distilled water.
b. Water
c. Osmosis. It is the movement of water from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic
solution through a semipermeable membrane till the concentration becomes equal.
 d. B- endosmosis, C – Exosmosis
e. No. As there is no water no osmosis takes place to it. Therefore no weight gain or
loss.

6. The figure given below is a diagrammatic representation of a part of the cross

section of the root. ………….
a. 1= root hair, 2= soil water, 3= xylem vessel, 4 = cortex, 5 = nucleus.
b. Unicellular
c. It will turn to be flaccid
d. Endosmosis
e. Root pressure
f. Due to the continued inward movement of water due to cell to cell osmosis.
7. Study the experimental set up ………
a. Osmosis
b. It is the movement of water from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution
through a semipermeable membrane till the concentration becomes equal.
c. A membrane that allows only solvent to pass through but prevent the entry of
solute.
d. The level of solution in the limb A will rise.
This is because the limb B has hypotonic solution in comparison with limb A.
Therefore water will enter into limb A from Limb B through the semipermeable
membrane by osmosis.
8. A candidate in order to study ………
a. 1= hypotonic solution, 2= hypertonic solution, 3 = isotonic solution
b. This is because the concentration of the solution inside the potato and outside it are
same. Therefore movement of water takes place equally to both the sides and there
is neither increase in size nor decrease in size.
c. The concentration of the cell sap is always higher in root hair cell than the soil
water.
d. It is the movement of water from a hypotonic solution to a hypertonic solution
through a semipermeable membrane till the concentration becomes equal.
e. Cell wall is freely permeable but cell membrane is semipermeable.

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