Question

read the excerpt from neil degrasse tysons death by black hole.
if you stumbled upon a black hole and found yourself falling feet - first toward its center, then as you got closer, the black holes force of gravity would grow astronomically. curiously, you would not feel this force at all because, like anything in free fall, you are weightless. what you do feel, however, is something far more sinister. while you fall, the black holes force of gravity at your two feet, they being closer to the black holes center, accelerates them faster than does the weaker force of gravity at your head. the difference between the two is known officially as the tidal force, which grows precipitously as you draw nearer to the black holes center. for earth, and for most cosmic places, the tidal force across the length of your body is minuscule and goes unnoticed. but in your feet - first fall toward a black hole the tidal forces are all you notice.
which sentence from the excerpt best supports the idea that falling into a black hole would be excruciatingly painful?

• curiously, you would not feel this force at all because, like anything in free fall, you are weightless.
• what you do feel, however, is something far more sinister.
• for earth, and for most cosmic places, the tidal force across the length of your body is minuscule and goes unnoticed.
• but in your feet - first fall toward a black hole the tidal forces are all you notice.

Explanation:

To determine which sentence supports the idea of falling into a black hole being excruciatingly painful, we analyze each option:

• The first option talks about feeling weightless, not pain.
• The second option says what is felt is "far more sinister"—"sinister" implies something threatening or painful, hinting at the excruciating nature.
• The third option describes tidal force on Earth as unnoticeable, not related to pain in a black hole.
• The fourth option only says tidal forces are noticed, not that they are painful.

So the sentence "What you do feel, however, is something far more sinister" best supports the idea as "sinister" suggests the painful/traumatic nature of the experience.

Answer:

B. What you do feel, however, is something far more sinister.