Final answer:
Most elements heavier than helium were not created during the first few minutes after the Big Bang; only hydrogen, helium, and some lithium were formed then. Heavier elements were synthesized later in stars and supernovae.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that most of the elements heavier than helium were made during the first few minutes after the Big Bang is false. During the first few minutes of the universe, only the three lightest elements — hydrogen, helium, and a small amount of lithium — were formed in appreciable abundances. This period of nucleosynthesis produced about 25% of the matter in the universe as helium, with hydrogen being the most abundant element. The synthesis of helium during this time helps to explain the helium abundance we see in the universe, which cannot be accounted for by stellar processes alone.
The heavier elements were formed later, primarily in the cores of stars and during supernovae events. This gradual process, called stellar nucleosynthesis, takes place over the star's lifetime, significantly longer than the few minutes after the Big Bang. Hence, most of the elements that we are familiar with on Earth and that make up the periodic table were synthesized well after the Big Bang, during the billions of years of star formation and evolution.