Final answer:
Carbon dioxide is a reactant that enters the plant during photosynthesis and is used in the Calvin cycle to produce sugars.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct statement regarding the role of carbon dioxide in photosynthesis is: 'It is a reactant, so it enters the plant.' During the process of photosynthesis, carbon dioxide is one of the necessary reactants, along with water, that enters the leaf through the stomata. Inside the leaf, carbon dioxide reaches the mesophyll cells, diffusing into the stroma of the chloroplasts where the light-independent reactions, also known as the Calvin cycle, take place. Here, carbon dioxide is used along with ATP and NADPH to produce sugar molecules like glucose (G3P).