The Poetry of Physics Answers

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Which of the following ideas is discussed in both Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole” and in Billy Collins’s “Man Listening to Disc”?

A
what is present in the center of the universe
B
humanity’s place in relation to the larger universe
C
the universe as a source of inspiration
D
the complexity and beauty of the universe
5

Read the excerpt from “Death by Black Hole.”If you were made of rubber then you would just stretch in response. But humans are composed of other materials such as bones and muscles and organs. Your body would stay whole until the instant the tidal force exceeded your body’s molecular bonds. (If the Inquisition had access to black holes, this, instead of the rack, would surely have become the stretching device of choice.)Which sentence from the excerpt supports the idea that falling into a black hole would be a violent death?

A
If you were made of rubber then you would just stretch in response.
B
But humans are composed of other materials such as bones and muscles and organs.
C
Your body would stay whole until the instant the tidal force exceeded your body’s molecular bonds.
D
If the Inquisition had access to black holes, this, instead of the rack, would surely have become the stretching device of choice.
7

Which statement best explains how Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole” and Billy Collins’s “Man Listening to Disc” present differing views about the universe?

A
Collins ponders the idea that a person can overcome all obstacles as long as there is music spilling from a headset, while Tyson establishes the idea that human beings are at the mercy of a violent universe.
B
Since Tyson is a scientist, he poses the idea that the universe can be understood through science, while Collins, a poet, argues that art or music holds the key to understanding the world.
C
Collins’s poem puts forth the idea that humans can become the center of the universe, while Tyson reveals that humans are insignificantly small and weak in comparison to a black hole.
D
Tyson’s essay reveals that humanity is powerless when it comes to the larger forces of the universe, while Collins’s poem argues that humanity is the center of the universe, and thus its master.
9

Which excerpt from Billy Collins’s “Man Listening to Disc” best supports the idea that the speaker uses the music to isolate himself from others?

A
as if he were right beside meon this clear day in March,the pavement sparkling with sunlight,
B
In fact, I would saymy delight at being suffusedwith phrases from his saxophone—some like honey, some like vinegar—
C
And I bow deeply to Thelonious Monkfor figuring out a wayto motorize—or whatever—his huge pianoso he could be with us today.
D
The music is loud yet so confidentialI cannot help feeling even morelike the center of the universe

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