Florida Biology EOC Practice Test 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane is best described as osmosis. Osmosis is a specific type of diffusion that refers specifically to the movement of water molecules from an area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute concentration through a semipermeable membrane. This process is vital for maintaining cell homeostasis and is essential for various biological functions.

In osmosis, water moves to balance solute concentrations on either side of the membrane, which is important for cellular processes. For instance, when a cell is placed in a solution with a higher concentration of solutes (hypertonic solution), water will move out of the cell to the external environment, potentially leading to cell shrinkage. Conversely, if a cell is in a solution with a lower concentration of solutes (hypotonic solution), water moves into the cell, which can cause it to swell.

In contrast, active transport involves the movement of molecules against their concentration gradient and requires energy, diffusion refers to the general movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration, and phagocytosis is a form of endocytosis where a cell engulfs large particles or cells. These processes are distinct from the specific mechanism of water