Question

the following reaction occurs in plants: co₂ + water + sunlight → o₂ + water + sugar this reaction is beneficial to plants because it options: produces chemical building blocks for proteins, brings ultraviolet light from damaging their cells, provides chemical energy to the cells, results in a net increase in the mass of the atoms

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the photosynthesis reaction (\( \text{CO}_2 + \text{water} + \text{sunlight}
ightarrow \text{O}_2 + \text{water} + \text{sugar} \)) and the options:

1. Option 1: Photosynthesis produces glucose (sugar), which is a building block for larger molecules like starches or used in respiration. It doesn’t “produce chemical building blocks for proteins” directly (proteins use amino acids, not sugar as a direct building block). Eliminate.
2. Option 2: Photosynthesis absorbs light energy (sunlight) to convert it into chemical energy (stored in sugar). It does not “boil off absorbed light” or “damage cells” with light. Eliminate.
3. Option 3: The reaction captures light energy and converts it into chemical energy (stored in glucose). This energy is then used by cells for growth, repair, etc. This matches the purpose of photosynthesis.
4. Option 4: Photosynthesis releases oxygen (\( \text{O}_2 \)) as a byproduct, which is beneficial (e.g., for aerobic organisms). The “no increase in atoms” is irrelevant—photosynthesis rearranges atoms, not increases them. Eliminate.

Answer:

provides chemical energy to the cells. (Assuming the third option’s text is “provides chemical energy to the cells” based on the image context.)