What prevents a plant cell from bursting in a hypotonic solution?

Choice A rationale: Eukaryotes is incorrect because eukaryotes are organisms that have cells with a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles, such as animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Some eukaryotes, such as protists, are microscopic and require microscopy to be studied, but others, such as animals and plants, are macroscopic and can be seen with the naked eye.

Choice B rationale: Fungi is incorrect because fungi are a group of eukaryotic organisms that include mushrooms, molds, yeasts, and lichens. Some fungi, such as yeasts and molds, are microscopic and require microscopy to be studied, but others, such as mushrooms and lichens, are macroscopic and can be seen with the naked eye.

Choice C rationale: Prokaryotes is correct because prokaryotes are organisms that have cells without a nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles, such as bacteria and archaea. All prokaryotes are microscopic and require microscopy to be studied. Prokaryotes are the smallest and most abundant living organisms on Earth.

Choice D rationale: Plants is incorrect because plants are a group of eukaryotic organisms that have cells with a cell wall, chloroplasts, and a large central vacuole, such as mosses, ferns, and flowering plants. Some plants, such as mosses and algae, are microscopic and require microscopy to be studied, but others, such as ferns and flowering plants, are macroscopic and can be seen with the naked eye.

Choice A rationale: Plant pigments do not produce photon energy, but rather capture it from the sun. Photon energy is the energy carried by particles of light, called photons. Different types of electromagnetic radiation, such as visible light, have different amounts of photon energy depending on their wavelength¹.

Choice B rationale: Plant pigments absorb light energy and use it to initiate photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, stored in the bonds of sugar molecules. Plant pigments are specialized organic molecules, such as chlorophyll and carotenoids, that are found in the chloroplasts of plant cells. They absorb specific wavelengths of light and reflect others, giving plants their characteristic colors²³.

Choice C rationale: Plant pigments do not provide electrons, but rather transfer them to other molecules. Electrons are negatively charged subatomic particles that are involved in chemical reactions. In photosynthesis, plant pigments absorb light energy and use it to split water molecules, releasing electrons, protons, and oxygen. The electrons are then passed along an electron transport chain, generating a proton gradient that drives the synthesis of ATP, an energy molecule. The electrons are also used to reduce NADP+ to NADPH, an electron carrier⁴.

Choice D rationale: Plant pigments do not convert heat to electricity, but rather convert light to chemical energy. Heat and electricity are both forms of energy, but they are not directly involved in photosynthesis. Heat is the kinetic energy of molecules, while electricity is the flow of electrons or electric charge. Plant pigments absorb light energy and use it to drive the chemical reactions of photosynthesis, which produce sugar and oxygen as products⁵.

Choice E rationale: Plant pigments do not reduce NADP, but rather donate electrons to it. Reduction is a chemical reaction in which a molecule gains electrons, while oxidation is a chemical reaction in which a molecule loses electrons. NADP+ is an oxidized form of NADP, which stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate. It is an electron carrier that accepts electrons from plant pigments in photosystem I, a complex of proteins and pigments in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast. The reduced form of NADP is NADPH, which carries electrons and hydrogen for the dark reaction of photosynthesis, which uses CO2 to produce glucose⁶.