Question

the poetry of physics
pre - test complete
1 2 3 4
read the excerpt from \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 hole’s force of gravity would grow astronomically.
read the stanza from \man listening to disc.\
this is not bad—
ambling along 44th street
with sonny rollins for company,
his music flowing through the soft calipers
of these earphones,
which statement best summarizes the two excerpts?
○ in both pieces the narrators are in grave danger.
○ in both pieces the narrators are carefree and in no apparent hurry.
○ in both pieces the narrators are unable to connect with others.
○ in both pieces the narrators are unaware of their surroundings.

Explanation:

1. Analyze the first excerpt: The narrator is falling toward a black hole, but the focus is on the gravity's growth, not the narrator's emotional state of being in danger (the excerpt describes the physical process, not the narrator's panic or sense of danger). Also, the narrator is not carefree or unaware here.
2. Analyze the second excerpt: The narrator is "ambling along 44th Street" with music, which shows a carefree, unhurried pace.
3. Evaluate each option:

• Option 1: The first excerpt doesn't show the narrator in "grave danger" in a way that the second does (the second has no danger). Eliminate.
• Option 2: The first narrator's action (falling, but the excerpt's tone is more descriptive of the black hole's gravity) and the second narrator "ambling" with music both suggest a carefree, unhurried state. This fits.
• Option 3: The second narrator has Sonny Rollins' music for company, so they are connected (through music). The first excerpt doesn't mention connection with others. Eliminate.
• Option 4: The second narrator is aware (ambling, listening to music), the first excerpt is descriptive of the black hole, not the narrator's awareness of surroundings. Eliminate.

Answer:

B. In both pieces the narrators are carefree and in no apparent hurry.