Question

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 Street
with Sonny Rollins for company,
his music flowing through the soft calipers
of these earphones,

The beginnings of these two pieces are similar because they both
reference a famous jazz musician.
contemplate life and death.
consider humanity’s place in the universe.
open with an upbeat tone.

Answer 1

None of the above.

- They do not both reference a famous jazz musician: only Collins names Sonny Rollins.
- They do not both contemplate life and death: Tyson's lines explicitly do, Collins’s opening is a pleasant listening scene.
- They do not both consider humanity’s place in the universe: Tyson’s is cosmic, Collins’s is intimate and local.
- They do not both open with an upbeat tone: Collins’s is light, Tyson’s is grim and morbid.