The Life-Saving and Life-Threatening Roles of Osmosis
Imagine you're stranded on a deserted island with only seawater to drink. You know you can't drink it straight away, but do you know why? It's because of a process called osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration through a semi-permeable membrane. If you drink seawater, the high salt concentration draws water out of your body's cells to balance the concentration, dehydrating you instead of quenching your thirst. Amazingly, our cells use osmosis every day to balance the fluids and nutrients inside and outside the cell, keeping us healthy.
Question 1
What is osmosis?
The movement of salt from seawater to our body cells
A process of cooking food with seawater
The movement of water molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
Explanation. Osmosis is the process of water molecules moving from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
A type of cell found in our body
A chemical reaction inside our body when we drink seawater
Question 2
What happens when you drink seawater?
It quenches our thirst
The salt in the seawater enters our body cells
The seawater is absorbed by our body
The high salt concentration draws water out of your body's cells
Explanation. Drinking seawater will dehydrate us because the high salt concentration in the water will draw water out of our body cells to balance the concentration.
We become more hydrated
Question 3
Why can't we drink seawater directly?
Because it is salty
Because it is not clean
Because it has high salt concentration which draws water out from our body's cells
Explanation. We cannot drink seawater directly because it has high salt concentration which will draw water out from our body's cells, causing dehydration instead of quenching our thirst.
Because it smells bad
Because it is against the law
Question 4
What is the role of osmosis in our body cells?
It helps in digestion
It balances the fluids and nutrients inside and outside the cell
Explanation. Osmosis plays a crucial role in our body cells by balancing the fluids and nutrients inside and outside the cell.
It helps in breathing
It helps in creating energy
It helps in thinking
Question 5
What does the high concentration of salt in seawater do to our body?
It gives us more energy
It makes us stronger
It helps us digest food quicker
It draws water out of our body's cells
Explanation. The high concentration of salt in seawater draws water out of our body's cells to balance the concentration, causing us to dehydrate.
It cleans our body
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