HSA 2007 Biology Item 30

Read the decription of the experiment and use the table of results below to answer the following question.

A student designed an experiment to see if plants grow better when watered with a sugar solution. He divided the plants into six groups, measured the initial height of each plant, and calculated the average height for each group. Once a week for two months, he watered the plants in each group using a different sugar solution for each plant group. At the end of two months, he measured the final height of each plant and calculated the average height for each group. The student’s data are shown in the table below.

Which of these statements explains why the plants in Groups E and F died?

1. The high sugar content caused too much water to move out of the root cells.
2. The high sugar content caused too much water to move into the root cells.
3. The high sugar content prevented the plant from capturing energy.
4. The high sugar content clogged the pores in the cell membranes.