AMSA Advanced Nursing 2 Practice Test

A hypotonic solution has a lower concentration of solutes compared to the concentration found inside a cell. When a cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, water moves into the cell through osmosis due to the concentration gradient. As water enters the cell, the intracellular fluid volume increases, causing the cell to swell.

If the hypotonic solution is significantly dilute, this influx of water can cause the cell to swell considerably, and in extreme cases, it may even lead to bursting, or lysis, of the cell. However, the primary effect of a hypotonic environment is swelling. Therefore, the correct answer is that cells swell in a hypotonic solution.