Which of the following items will you need to make a wet mount?
Check all that apply.

Red blood cells are animal cells that lack a cell wall, a rigid structure that surrounds the cell membrane of plant cells, such as Elodea cells. A cell wall provides support and protection for the cell, and prevents excessive water uptake or loss. Red blood cells, on the other hand, rely on the osmotic balance of their environment to maintain their shape and function. If red blood cells are placed in a hypotonic solution, where the water concentration is higher outside than inside the cell, they will swell and burst due to osmosis. This is called hemolysis. If red blood cells are placed in a hypertonic solution, where the water concentration is lower outside than inside the cell, they will shrink and lose their ability to carry oxygen. This is called crenation.

Elodea cells, however, can withstand hypotonic or hypertonic solutions without bursting or shrinking, because their cell wall prevents the water from entering or leaving the cell beyond a certain point. Therefore, a major difference between red blood cells and Elodea cells is that Elodea cells have a cell wall, which protects them from bursting.

Choice A rationale: The cell membrane did not change at all because of the protection of the cell wall is incorrect because the cell wall does not prevent the movement of water across the cell membrane. The cell wall only provides mechanical support and prevents the cell from bursting in a hypotonic solution.

Choice B rationale: The cells burst because the solution was hypotonic is incorrect because the solution was hypertonic, not hypotonic. A hypertonic solution has a lower concentration of water than the cell, so water moves out of the cell and into the solution by osmosis, causing the cell to shrink.

Choice C rationale: The cell membrane shrank, but the central vacuole remained full is incorrect because the central vacuole also loses water in a hypertonic solution. The central vacuole is a large organelle that stores water and other substances in the plant cell. When water leaves the cell, the central vacuole shrinks and the cell loses its turgor pressure.

Choice D rationale: The cell membrane shrank away from the cell wall because the solution was hypertonic is correct because this is what happens when a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution. The cell membrane and the cytoplasm contract and pull away from the cell wall, creating a gap between them. This is called plasmolysis and it can damage the cell.

Choice E rationale: The cell became turgid is incorrect because the cell becomes turgid in a hypotonic solution, not a hypertonic one. A hypotonic solution has a higher concentration of water than the cell, so water moves into the cell and out of the solution by osmosis, causing the cell to swell and press against the cell wall. This is called turgor and it helps the cell maintain its shape and rigidity.