Which observation is explained by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity but not Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation?

• A. the ability of gravity to act across a distance
• B. gravity is instantaneous
• C. gravity is not a force
• D. gravity cannot bend light

Answer: (A)

General Relativity shifts how we understand gravity: it’s not a force pulling on objects, but the curvature of spacetime that guides how matter and light move. In Newtonian gravity, gravity is a force that acts at a distance and, in the old view, can be thought of as instantaneous across space. General Relativity, on the other hand, describes gravity as geometry, and changes propagate at the speed of light.

Among the options, the statement that gravity is not a force captures this GR perspective. Newton’s law treats gravity as a force, so that view isn’t compatible with Newtonian gravity. The other options either describe ideas Newtonian gravity already uses (gravity acting across a distance) or state something GR would contradict (that gravity cannot bend light).