Which statement accurately describes photosynthesis?

• A. Plants convert chemical energy into light energy.
• B. Plants convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.
• C. Plants convert heat into chemical energy.
• D. Plants convert chemical energy into kinetic energy.

Answer: (B)

Photosynthesis is about turning light energy into chemical energy. Plants use sunlight captured by chlorophyll to drive reactions that combine carbon dioxide from the air with water from the soil to make glucose, a sugar that stores energy in its chemical bonds. Oxygen is released as a byproduct. So the energy from the sun ends up stored in chemical bonds in glucose, which the plant can later use for growth and metabolism. The other ideas aren’t how this process works: energy isn’t converted into light, heat isn’t the primary energy source stored, and energy isn’t stored as motion during photosynthesis.