Which process uses sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen in plants?

• A. Photosynthesis
• B. Respiration
• C. Combustion
• D. Fermentation

Answer: (A)

Plants perform photosynthesis, using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. In the chloroplasts, light energy drives reactions that split water, releasing oxygen and producing energy carriers (ATP and NADPH). Those energy carriers power the Calvin cycle, which fixes carbon dioxide into glucose. This process builds sugar from inorganic material using sunlight, with oxygen released as a byproduct. Other options describe energy-releasing or non-light-driven processes, not the synthesis of glucose from CO2 and H2O using light.