Final answer:
An unamplified guitar's sound is more intense due to the resonance of its soundboard and body, which amplifies vibrations and enriches the sound across a wide frequency range.
Step-by-step explanation:
An unamplified guitar produces sounds that are much more intense than those of a plucked string held taut by a simple stick primarily due to resonance in the guitar's body. When the string of a guitar is plucked, it vibrates and transfers the energy to the guitar's soundboard, which is the top surface of the guitar body. The soundboard and the air cavity within the guitar body amplify these vibrations, resulting in a louder and richer sound.
Furthermore, the shape and design of the guitar's soundboard and body enable it to resonate across a wide range of frequencies, enhancing the guitar's overall volume and the complexity of the sound, or its timbre.