Astronomy quiz question: old star cluster low-mass stars

Astronomy 210 Quiz 6, fall semester 2015
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Low-mass stars in an old star cluster will be in their __________ stage.
(A) protostar.
(B) red dwarf.
(C) white dwarf.
(D) supergiant.

Correct answer (highlight to unhide): (B)

All stars in a star cluster are born at the same time, but undergo stellar evolution at different rates depending on their masses. Low-mass stars evolve much more slowly than medium-mass and massive stars, so in an old star cluster they would be red dwarfs on the main-sequence.

Section 70160
Exam code: quiz06nUm6
(A) : 0 students
(B) : 17 students
(C) : 11 students
(D) : 0 students

Success level: 64% (including partial credit for multiple-choice)
Discrimination index (Aubrecht & Aubrecht, 1983): 0.43