Explanation
This question asks us about stellar objects with a mass below the limit of 3.6 solar masses--what
can we conclude about them? The natural reaction is choice (B), that such an
object cannot be a black hole. However, whether or not this is true, we have
not been given sufficient information in the passage to draw such a conclusion.
For example, the passage does not assure us that the collapse of a star is the
only way in which a black hole is formed, and it doesn't discuss whether there
is any way in which a black hole might become less massive after it is formed.
The only choice that must be true
from the passage is (C). We know from the passage that a stellar object above a
certain mass will collapse, and we know that stars exist below this mass limit,
so we can conclude that stellar objects under the mass limit will not
necessarily collapse.
The correct answer is (C).
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