According to Levin, a black hole can do which trio of actions?

• A. Pull things in, warp light, and slow down time
• B. Pull things in, warp light, and speed up time
• C. Warp light, move faster, and create gravity
• D. Surround objects with a shadow

Answer: (A)

Extreme gravity around a black hole pulls in nearby matter, bends the path of light, and slows down time relative to distant observers. The inward pull comes from the immense gravitational field, so matter and even light can be captured. Light doesn’t travel in straight lines near such strong gravity; its path is curved, which is what we mean by warping light. And because gravity affects time, clocks near a black hole run more slowly compared to clocks far away—a phenomenon known as gravitational time dilation. These three effects—pulling in matter, bending light, and slowing time—together capture what a black hole does. The idea of speeding up time isn’t consistent with how strong gravity operates, so it isn’t part of the characteristic trio.