Given below are two statements: Statement I: In the Calvin cycle, the reduction step requires 2 ATP and 2 NADPH for every C O₂ molecule fixed. Statement II: To synthesize one molecule of glucose, the C₄ pathway requires 12 more ATP molecules than the C₃ pathway. In the light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below:

Step-by-step solution

Statement I is correct: The Calvin cycle consists of three stages: carboxylation, reduction, and regeneration. The reduction step specifically utilizes 2 molecules of ATP for phosphorylation and 2 molecules of NADPH for reduction per CO₂ molecule fixed. Statement II is correct: The synthesis of one glucose molecule requires the fixation of 6 CO₂ molecules. In the C₃ pathway, this requires 18 ATP (3 ATP per CO₂ 6). In the C₄ pathway, this requires 30 ATP (5 ATP per CO₂ 6). The difference is 30 - 18 = 12 ATP molecule