Question

6

But because the star shines so brightly, it uses up its hydrogen fuel within millions of years-much less time than the billions of years the Sun will take to use up its fuel. Soon the star's center runs out of hydrogen. Then the star expands and cools, turning into a big red star like Antares. Astronomers call such a star a red supergiant.

7 The red supergiant makes energy by changing helium and other elements into still heavier elements. But these nuclear reactions do not make as much energy as hydrogen did. Within a few million years, the star has no fuel left.

8 Now the star is in big trouble. The star can't make energy to hold itself up, and gravity is still trying to pull the star inward. So the star's center collapses, scrunching itself into a small, dense object. Meanwhile, the star's outer layer shoots into space at millions of miles per hour. The star has exploded!

Short Response Reread paragraphs 6, 7, and 8. What is the author's main idea in these paragraphs? Use key details from these paragraphs to support your answer.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The main idea in paragraphs 6, 7, and 8 is the process of a star running out of fuel, expanding into a red supergiant, and eventually collapsing and exploding. The author explains how a star uses up its hydrogen fuel, expands and cools into a red supergiant, and eventually collapses due to lack of fuel, resulting in a powerful explosion. Key details such as the star's transition from a big red star to a red supergiant, the decrease in energy production from nuclear reactions, and the final collapse and explosion of the star support this main idea.