What is the function of chloroplasts in plant cells?

• A. They break down waste
• B. They carry out photosynthesis to make glucose using sunlight
• C. They store genetic information
• D. They control cell division

Answer: (B)

Chloroplasts enable photosynthesis, the process plants use to capture light energy and convert it into chemical energy stored as glucose. They contain chlorophyll to absorb sunlight. In the light-dependent reactions, happening in the thylakoid membranes, light energy is used to make ATP and NADPH. These energy carriers fuel the Calvin cycle in the stroma, where carbon dioxide is assembled into glucose. This glucose becomes the plant’s usable food and also supports life up the food chain. Other options don’t fit because waste breakdown is done in lysosomes and peroxisomes, genetic information is stored mainly in the nucleus (with chloroplast DNA playing a smaller, supporting role), and cell division is coordinated by signals from the nucleus and other cellular systems, not chloroplasts.