Q.

A student covered a leaf from a destarched plant with a black paper strip and kept it in the garden outside his house in fresh air. In the evening he tested the covered portion of the leaf for the presence of starch. By doing so the student was trying to show that:

1 CO2 is given out during respiration.  
2 CO2 is necessary for photosynthesis.  
3 Chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis.  
4 Light is necessary for photosynthesis.  

Ans.

(4)

Only in the presence of sunlight autotrophs can convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates. By covering the leaf by black paper strip the leaf does not get sunlight in the covered part and no photosynthesis takes place and no starch will be present in the leaf thus light is necessary for photosynthesis.