STELLAR EVOLUTION

What is the primary factor that determines the evolution and lifetime of a star?

• Its luminosity

• Its distance from Earth

• Its mass

• Its chemical composition

Which phase of stellar evolution is characterized by a star fusing hydrogen into helium in its core?

• Red giant

• White dwarf

• Main sequence

• Protostar

What element is primarily produced in the core of a red giant star?

• Helium

• Carbon

• Oxygen

• Iron

During the supernova explosion of a massive star, what is the primary process that releases energy?

• Nuclear fusion

• Nuclear fission

• Gravitational collapse

• Neutron capture

What type of star is left behind after a supernova explosion if the core remnant is between 1.4 and 3 solar masses?

• White dwarf

• Neutron star

• Black hole

• Red dwarf

What is the name of the process where hydrogen nuclei combine to form helium in stars?

• Helium flash

• Proton-proton chain

• Triple-alpha process

• CNO cycle

Which of the following stages comes immediately after the main sequence phase for a sun-like star?

• White dwarf

• Red giant

• Supernova

• Neutron star

What happens to a star during the planetary nebula phase?

• It collapses into a black hole

• It explodes as a supernova

• It sheds its outer layers

• It fuses iron in its core

What is the Chandrasekhar limit?

• The maximum mass of a neutron star

• The maximum mass of a white dwarf

• The minimum mass required for hydrogen fusion

• The distance beyond which parallax cannot be measured

Which of the following stars is most likely to end its life as a black hole?

• A 0.5 solar mass red dwarf

• A 1 solar mass sun-like star

• A 3 solar mass white dwarf

• A 25 solar mass blue supergiant