Which process releases energy by breaking down stored sugar in plant cells?

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

Answer: (A)

Cellular respiration releases energy by breaking down stored sugar in plant cells. In this process, glucose is oxidized in the mitochondria, producing ATP that powers growth, maintenance, and other cellular activities. The breakdown also releases carbon dioxide and water as waste, and it usually relies on oxygen to be efficient.

Transpiration is the loss of water from leaves and has nothing to do with energy release from sugar. Photosynthesis stores energy by building sugars using light. Germination uses stored reserves to fuel a growing seedling, but the energy is released from those reserves through respiration—the actual process that breaks down the sugar to yield usable energy.