The process of using light energy to convert carbon dioxide into sugars is:

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

Answer: (C)

Photosynthesis is the process of using light energy to convert carbon dioxide into sugars. Plants capture light with chlorophyll in the chloroplasts, and this light energy drives a sequence of reactions that transform CO2 and water into glucose, a sugar, while releasing oxygen. It has two main stages: the light-dependent reactions, which harvest light to produce energy-rich molecules (ATP and NADPH), and the Calvin cycle, which uses those molecules to fix CO2 into sugars. This is different from respiration, which breaks sugars down to release energy; fermentation, which can generate energy without oxygen and produces byproducts; and transpiration, which is the loss of water from leaves and is not about sugar production.