Great News!
Many students who study using our platform have reported that a large number of the practice questions here are very similar to those that appear in real exams. View Courses
Many students who study using our platform have reported that a large number of the practice questions here are very similar to those that appear in real exams. View Courses
Exploding into the Depths of Darkness
Read through the draft of an article about the formation of black holes. Then go on to the suggestions for revision that follow.
1 The universe is full of wondrous, nearly, incomprehensible formations. Among these are the literally invisible regions known as black holes. This invisibility makes it hard to believe black holes actually exist. Using special space telescopes and very specific tools, though, scientists have learned how to detect them. Over years of study, scientists have found numerous black holes within Earth's universe and in many others. Through these discoveries, scientists have learned much about these vast areas of seeming nothingness.
2 A black hole forms when an enormous, very old star dies. As its life ends, the center of the star collapses into itself. This collapse causes a violent explosion. Such exploding stars are called supernovas. The explosion hurls part of the star into space, what remains is a gravitational singularity. This is an area that holds all of the original old star's mass. The gravity within this space is unimaginably strong, so many nearby entities are sucked into it. Even light rays cannot escape this intense gravitational force. As a result, the area is rendered completely dark. Hence, they earn the name black hole.
3 [E4] Based on their size and mass, black holes fall into three primary categories. Primordial black holes are the most small and may be no larger than an atom, the most small particle of any element. Still, their mass, about equal to that of a mountain, belies their tiny size.
4 Next in size are stellar black holes. Their mass dwarfs that of Earth's sun. Many stellar black holes, the diameter of which can extend ten miles, call Earth's Milky Way galaxy home.
5 Impressive as stellar black holes are, supermassive black holes put their size to shame. Solar system-sized in diameter, their mass is shockingly and surprisingly huge, equal to millions of suns grouped together.
6 If, though, these massive black holes are invisible, one might wonder how scientists can tell they are there? Well, with those specially equipped space telescopes, they can identify black holes by observing space entities that have existed at their outer edges. [E5] A neighboring star, for instance, can be too far away for a black hole's extreme gravitational force to capture it. Yet this force will still influence the nearby star. Indeed, the star will appear to travel in an orbit. Yet instead of orbiting a very visible sun, the star seems to circle empty space. Actually, the gravitational force of a black hole draws the star into orbit around it.
7 Two things are key to determining if objects are orbiting a black hole. One is the speed of the object's orbit. The gravitational strength of a supermassive black hole is so immense that it caused objects to orbit it at super speeds. This is true of the stars located at the center of the Milky Way. They achieve orbiting speeds of millions of kilometers per hour. Scientists believe this is due to the presence of a supermassive black hole, known as Sagittarius A, smack in the galaxy's middle.
8 The second thing to indicate a black hole's presence is the effect it can have on gases given off by orbiting stars. Stretched out by the gravity of a black hole, the gases may form a disk around the star. This so-called accretion disk of gases heats up as it is towed toward the black hole. [E6] The increasing heat causes a spray of X-ray light that the specialized telescopes can detect.
9 In the early 2000s, a star being tracked by the Hubble Space Telescope exhibited such behaviors. Scientists studied Hubble images and measurements of the star's movement and related data from Earthbound telescopes [E7] Rocketing so closely by, awed though they certainly were, scientists maintain the black hole posed no threat to Earth or its galaxy.
10 Black holes may have a reputation for sucking up everything in their path; consequently, just like their companion stars, galaxies and their planets would at most be drawn into a black hole's orbit. Yet in this case, the Milky Way becoming a black hole companion is not in the cards. This particular black hole, it seems, will continue just hurtling on its merry way.
Which revision of the highlighted portion (wondrous, nearly, incomprehensible formations)
is most effective and grammatically correct?
The Correct Answer is: C. wondrous, nearly incomprehensible formations.
Option C is the most effective and grammatically correct revision because it removes the unnecessary comma between “nearly” and “incomprehensible,” which incorrectly separates an adverb from the adjective it modifies. It also retains the needed comma after “wondrous,” correctly separating coordinate adjectives. This creates a smooth, natural, and grammatically sound phrase that accurately reflects the writer’s intended meaning and maintains the professional tone of the article.
Why the other options are incorrect:
Discover a range of courses designed to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in your chosen field.
You don’t need one month to study and pass your test.
With Prepsaret, it takes you a few days to grasp all the concepts needed to pass your exams