For human beings, which of the following is the immediate source that provides both energy and raw materials for growth, repair, and daily activities?

Introduction / Context:
Every living organism requires a source of energy and materials to build and maintain its body. Humans obtain these requirements in a particular way that is different from how plants obtain them. This simple general science question asks which item listed is the direct source of energy and materials for humans.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Human bodies need energy for movement, thinking, and internal processes.
• They also need raw materials to build and repair tissues, such as muscles and bones.
• Options include water, sunlight, food, and gas.
• We look for what humans actually consume to meet both energy and material needs.

Concept / Approach:
Humans are heterotrophs, meaning they must eat other organisms or products of organisms to obtain energy and nutrients. Food contains carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Carbohydrates and fats are major energy sources, while proteins and minerals provide building materials for body structures. Water is essential for life but does not provide energy in the calorie sense. Sunlight is used by plants in photosynthesis but humans cannot directly convert sunlight into food. Gas such as cooking gas is a fuel outside the body, not something we eat. Therefore, the correct immediate source of both energy and materials for humans is food.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Nutritional science explains that daily energy intake for humans is measured in calories or kilojoules from food, mainly carbohydrates and fats. Nutrient tables show no energy value for water, sunlight, or gas. Growth charts for children are always related to diet and food intake, confirming that food is the main source of energy and materials for development.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Water is wrong as the main energy and material source because it does not provide calories or structural macromolecules.
• Sunlight is wrong because humans cannot photosynthesise and do not convert light directly into food.
• Gas is wrong because it is a household fuel, not a nutrient consumed by the body.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners may remember that sunlight is the ultimate energy source for life on Earth and mistakenly choose it here. While that is true in an ecosystem sense, the immediate source for humans is food. Plants capture sunlight and convert it into chemical energy, and humans then eat plants or animals to obtain that energy.

Final Answer:
Food, which supplies nutrients, energy, and building materials