The right answer is C, The water solution in the environment surrounding the cell has a higher solute concentration than the cell.
Plasmolysis (the phenomena of shriveling cell) is a cellular state of the plant cell where, following loss of water, the membrane is detached from the pectocellulose wall. This is the opposite state of turgescence.
Plasmolysis occurs when a stream of water comes out of the vacuole and the plant cell through osmosis. The resulting decrease in pressure causes shrivelling of the soft parts of the plant (stems, leaves, petals), which are no longer supported by the turgor pressure.
This flow of water is created either by the lack of water in the external environment, or by the presence in this medium of a liquid more concentrated than the cellular medium. In these situations, there is a displacement of water by osmosis from the cell medium to the external medium.
Thus, the cells of a plant subjected to a drought or a water too concentrated in salts will lose their water and will be in plasmolysis. The soft parts will then shrivel up and the plant will die of water stress if the situation does not allow it to quickly reabsorb water.
