A sample of hydrogen gas at room temperature is illuminated by a broad-spectrum light source. The resulting absorption spectrum displays dark lines corresponding to electron transitions from the ground state (\(n = 1\)) to higher energy levels (\(n = 2, 3, 4\)), but lines corresponding to transitions between excited states, such as \(n = 2 \to n = 3\), are absent. However, when the gas is heated to a very high temperature, its emission spectrum displays bright lines for transitions between excited states, including \(n = 3 \to n = 2\). Which of the following best explains why the absorption line corresponding to the transition energy \(\Delta E_{23} = E_3 - E_2\) is absent in the room-temperature absorption spectrum?