In the diagram below, one beaker contains pure water and the other contains an equal volume of seawater. Seawater has various salts dissolved in it. The beakers are sitting in a totally enclosed chamber, and the outside temperature and pressure are held constant. Identify the statements below about this situation that are not correct.
I. Water will be transferred from the pure water beaker to the seawater beaker.
II. Water will be transferred from the seawater beaker to the pure water beaker.
III. The vapor pressure of the pure water is higher than the vapor pressure of the seawater.
IV. Pure water evaporates at a faster rate than seawater.
V. Water in the gas phase condenses into both beakers at the same rate.
A) II only
B) II and V
C) II, IV, and V
D) II, III, and IV
E) I, III, and IV

Question

In the diagram below, one beaker contains pure water and the other contains an equal volume of seawater. Seawater has various salts dissolved in it. The beakers are sitting in a totally enclosed chamber, and the outside temperature and pressure are held constant. Identify the statements below about this situation that are not correct.  
I. Water will be transferred from the pure water beaker to the seawater beaker.
II. Water will be transferred from the seawater beaker to the pure water beaker.
III. The vapor pressure of the pure water is higher than the vapor pressure of the seawater.
IV. Pure water evaporates at a faster rate than seawater.
V. Water in the gas phase condenses into both beakers at the same rate.
A) II only 
B) II and V 
C) II, IV, and V 
D) II, III, and IV 
E) I, III, and IV

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

I is incorrect because the seawater contains dissolved salts, which will lower its vapor pressure and make it less likely for water to evaporate from it. 
II is correct because water will move from the pure water beaker to the seawater beaker due to osmosis, as the seawater has a higher concentration of solutes. 
III is incorrect because the vapor pressure of seawater is actually lower than the vapor pressure of pure water due to the presence of dissolved salts. 
IV is incorrect for the same reason as I, and in fact, seawater will generally evaporate more slowly than pure water. 
V is incorrect because the vapor in the chamber will tend to condense more in the pure water beaker, again due to the higher vapor pressure of pure water.

In the Diagram Below, One Beaker Contains Pure Water and the Other