Select the correct answer. Read the sentences from the passage.
"First, they rolled in one by one, those newly discovered planets, like billiard balls pushed across
a table... But when discoveries of exoplanets began to flow from space-based telescopes, it
was like a pool player making a big, smashing break. The billiard balls raced across the table in
bunches."
excerpt adapted from Exoplanet in the Corn
Pocket
by Pat Brennan
First, they rolled in one by one, those newly
discovered planets, like billiard balls pushed
across a table.
Counting them was easy.
Then, they came in handfuls, still quite
manageable, as ground-based observatories
began to pile up their discoveries of exoplanets
(planets outside our solar system). In the 1990s
and early 2000s, astronomers had no trouble
keeping a running tally.
But when discoveries of exoplanets began to
flow from space-based telescopes, it was like a
pool player making a big, smashing break. The
billiard balls raced across the table in bunches.
In just a few years, scientists were racking up an
inordinate number of new planets, accumulating
them by the thousands.
And it wasn't just the number, but the types
of planets that had to be accounted for—"hot
How does the author's use of simile help communicate the main idea of the passage?
А.
It stimulates the reader's imagination by describing a series of exciting events.
B.
It helps the reader visualize the increased number of exoplanets discovered.
C.
It helps the reader understand the importance of discovering new exoplanets.
D.
It holds the reader's attention by calling to mind a game that is fun to play,