MTTC 103 Elementary Practice Exam 2025 – All-in-One Guide for Comprehensive Exam Success

Plants utilize sunlight primarily through a process known as photosynthesis, which directly leads to the production of sugars. During photosynthesis, plants convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy by transforming carbon dioxide and water into glucose. This process involves chlorophyll, the pigment that captures light energy, and takes place mainly in the leaves of a plant. The glucose produced then serves as a crucial source of energy and as a building block for growth, allowing the plant to store energy in chemical form.

This conversion of light energy into chemical energy results in a significant change in matter, as the carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil are transformed into glucose and oxygen. Oxygen is released as a byproduct during this process. The ability of plants to produce their own food through sunlight underscores their role in the ecosystem as primary producers, making them essential for the survival of other organisms that depend on them for energy and oxygen.

The other choices do not relate to the primary use of sunlight in altering matter in the context described. Releasing spores is a reproductive strategy, absorbing oxygen is part of cellular respiration, and removing shells from seeds is not a process linked to sunlight utilization.