Question

Leaves appear green, because

• A. They absorb green light
• B. They reflect green light
• C. They absorb and reflect green light
• D. They absorb green and reflect green light

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

They reflect green light

Leaves contain green coloured photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll molecules appear green to our eyes because they absorb visible light mainly in the region of red and blue parts of the light spectrum, so only some of the light enriched in green wavelengths (i.e. about 550 nm) is reflected into our eyes.

Hence, leaves appear green because they reflect green light. So, the correct answer is 'they reflect green light'.