Which one of the following will happen if the medium surrounding the cell has a higher water concentration than the cell?

When the medium surrounding a cell has a higher water concentration than the cell itself, the solution is described as hypotonic [1]. Osmosis is the process where water moves across a semipermeable membrane from an area of higher water concentration to an area of lower water concentration. In this specific scenario, because the external environment is more dilute (higher water concentration) than the cell's cytoplasm, there is a net movement of water into the cell [1]. This influx causes the cell to gain water, leading to swelling and expansion [2]. In animal cells, this can result in the cell bursting (cytolysis), while in plant cells, the rigid cell wall prevents bursting but allows the cell to become turgid as the internal pressure increases. Therefore, the cell will gain water through osmotic flow.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557609/
2. [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/tonicity