Read the excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole.” That’s the gory moment when your body snaps into two segments, breaking apart at your midsection. Upon falling further, the difference in gravity continues to grow, and each of your two body segments snaps into two segments. Shortly thereafter, those segments each snap into two segments of their own, and so forth, and so forth, bifurcating your body into an ever-increasing number of parts: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc. After you’ve been ripped into shreds of organic molecules, the molecules themselves begin to feel the continually growing tidal forces. Eventually, they too snap apart, creating a stream of their constituent atoms. And then, of course, the atoms themselves snap apart, leaving an unrecognizable parade of particles that, minutes earlier, had been you. Which statement best describes how the author conveys the message that humans are no match for the power of a black hole?
Answer
A
He personalizes the experience for the reader and uses vivid imagery to create a clear mental picture.
B
He provides helpful comparisons of black holes with other cosmic phenomena that the reader may already know.
C
He uses logic and reason to lay out each individual step of human combustion as it is absorbed by the tidal force.
D
He explains scientific theories to the reader and provides the definitions for difficult terms and words.
Explanation
Tyson addresses the reader directly by describing what happens to “your body,” making the experience feel personal. The vivid sequence of the body splitting into smaller and smaller parts helps readers picture the black hole’s overwhelming power. The excerpt does not compare black holes with other cosmic phenomena or define scientific terms.
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