AnswersTX-English III - BISD BA Look at the Fast-Food Industry by Eric Schlosser

The Poetry of Physics Answers

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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.
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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.
3

Read the excerpt from Death by Black Hole.Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, published in 1916, provides the insight to understand the bizarre structure of space and time in a high-gravity environment. Later research by the American physicist John A. Wheeler, and others, helped to formulate a vocabulary as well as the mathematical tools to describe and predict what a black hole will do to its surroundings.Read the excerpt from “Man Listening to Disc.”And I bow deeply to Thelonious Monkfor figuring out a wayto motorize—or whatever—his huge pianoso he could be with us today.The central idea that both texts share is

A
connections between math and music
B
references to musicians the narrators admire
C
predictions about the future of mankind
D
credit to people who have inspired the authors
4

Which excerpt from Billy Collins’s “Man Listening to Disc” best reflects the euphoric effect the narrator experiences from listening to music on his headphones?

A
his music flowing through the soft calipers
B
the pavement sparkling with sunlight
C
The music is loud yet so confidential
D
all I can say is watch your step
5

Read the excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole.”Black holes are regions of space where the gravity is so high that the fabric of space and time has curved back on itself, taking the exit doors with it. Another way to look at the dilemma: the speed required to escape a black hole is greater than the speed of light itself. . . . light travels at exactly 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum and is the fastest stuff in the universe. If light cannot escape, then neither can you, which is why, of course, we call these things black holes.Which of the following features would best enhance the reader’s understanding of this excerpt?

A
a photograph of a black hole
B
a demonstration of the speed of light
C
an interactive animation of a black hole
D
a definition of the term black hole
6

Read the excerpt from “Death by Black Hole.”Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, published in 1916, provides the insight to understand the bizarre structure of space and time in a high-gravity environment. Later research by the American physicist John A. Wheeler, and others, helped to formulate a vocabulary as well as the mathematical tools to describe and predict what a black hole will do to its surroundings.Read the excerpt from “Man Listening to Disc.”And I bow deeply to Thelonious Monkfor figuring out a wayto motorize—or whatever—his huge pianoso he could be with us today.These excerpts are similar because both texts

A
show a connection between math and music.
B
reference musicians the narrators admire.
C
make predictions about the future of mankind.
D
credit people who have inspired the authors.
7

Read the excerpt from “Man Listening to Disc.”as if he were right beside meon this clear day in March,the pavement sparkling with sunlight,pigeons fluttering off the curb,nodding over a profusion of bread crumbs.Which of the following techniques does Collins use to convey his intended message?

A
rich imagery that appeals to the readers’ senses
B
humorous language that entertains the readers
C
metaphors to help readers comprehend the text
D
definitions to explain important concepts to readers
8

Read the opening lines from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole.”Without a doubt, the most spectacular way to die in space is to fall into a black hole. Where else in the universe can you lose your life by being ripped apart atom by atom?Read the beginning stanza from Billy Collins’s “Man Listening to Disc.”This is not bad—ambling along 44th Streetwith Sonny Rollins for company,his music flowing through the soft calipersof these earphones,The beginnings of these two pieces are similar because they both

A
reference a famous jazz musician.
B
contemplate life and death.
C
consider humanity’s place in the universe.
D
open with an upbeat tone.
9

Which excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole” best provides evidence that escape from a black hole is impossible?

A
. . . the speed required to escape a black hole is greater than the speed of light itself. . . . light travels at exactly 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum and is the fastest stuff in the universe.
B
But if the black hole were 6,000 feet across, then the same man’s feet would be only one-tenth of 1 percent closer to the center than his head, and the difference in gravity—the tidal force—would be correspondingly small.
C
Meanwhile, the stuff within the event horizon has collapsed to an infinitesimal point at the black hole’s center. So black holes are not so much deadly objects as they are deadly regions of space.
D
If you stumbled upon a black hole and found yourself falling feet-first toward its center, then as you got closer, the black hole’s force of gravity would grow astronomically.
10

Read the excerpt from Neil deGrasse Tyson’s “Death by Black Hole.”As far as I know, nobody has ever been eaten by a black hole, but there is compelling evidence to suggest that black holes in the universe routinely dine upon wayward stars and unsuspecting gas clouds. As a cloud approaches a black hole, it hardly ever falls straight in. Unlike your choreographed feet-first fall, a gas cloud is typically drawn into orbit before it spirals to its destruction. The parts of the cloud that are closer to the black hole will orbit faster than the parts that are farther away. Known as differential rotation, this simple shearing can have extraordinary astrophysical consequences. As the cloud layers spiral closer to the event horizon they heat up, from internal friction, to upwards of a million degrees— much hotter than any known star. The gas glows blue-hot as it becomes a copious source of ultraviolet and x-ray energy. What started as an isolated, invisible black hole (minding its own business) has now become an invisible black hole encircled by a gaseous speedway, ablaze with high-energy radiation.Which of the following suggestions would be most beneficial for a reader in order to gain a better understanding of the information presented in this excerpt?

A
Skim encyclopedias to learn star names and locations.
B
Review scientific journals explaining the various types of clouds.
C
Read a variety of sources about the formation of black holes.
D
Search web pages focused on personal encounters with black holes.

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