How many months does one-fifth of a year correspond to?

How many months does one-fifth of a year correspond to?

• A. 2.0 months
• B. 3.0 months
• C. 4.0 months
• D. 2.4 months

Answer: (D)

Think in terms of fractions of a year and how many months that represents. A year has 12 months, so to find one-fifth of a year, multiply 12 by 1/5. That gives 12 × 1/5 = 12/5 = 2.4. So one-fifth of a year equals 2.4 months. This makes sense when you compare to the other common month counts: 2.0 months is 1/6 of a year, 3.0 months is 1/4 of a year, and 4.0 months is 1/3 of a year—none of which are one-fifth.

Think in terms of fractions of a year and how many months that represents. A year has 12 months, so to find one-fifth of a year, multiply 12 by 1/5. That gives 12 × 1/5 = 12/5 = 2.4. So one-fifth of a year equals 2.4 months.

This makes sense when you compare to the other common month counts: 2.0 months is 1/6 of a year, 3.0 months is 1/4 of a year, and 4.0 months is 1/3 of a year—none of which are one-fifth.