Concept:
The number of times a particular day occurs in a month depends on the total number of days in that month and the day of the week it starts on:
- A month with 30 days will have 5 of a specific day if the month starts on that day or the day before it (i.e., the day must fall on the 1st or 2nd of the month).
- A month with 31 days will have 5 of a specific day if the month starts on that day or up to two days before it (i.e., the day must fall on the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd of the month).
Calculation:
The year 1916 is divisible by 4, making it a leap year. Therefore, February has 29 days.
First, we determine the day of the week for January 1, 1916. Using the calendar calculation, January 1, 1916, was a Saturday.
I. June 1916
June always has 30 days.
Total days from January 1 to June 1 = 31 (Jan) + 29 (Feb) + 31 (Mar) + 30 (Apr) + 31 (May) = 152 days.
Odd days = 152 ÷ 7 = 21 weeks and 5 odd days.
Day on June 1 = Saturday + 5 days = Thursday.
Since June starts on a Thursday, the Wednesdays fall on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th. There are only 4 Wednesdays in June 1916.
II. December 1916
December always has 31 days.
Total days from June 1 to December 1 = 30 (Jun) + 31 (Jul) + 31 (Aug) + 30 (Sep) + 31 (Oct) + 30 (Nov) = 183 days.
Odd days = 183 ÷ 7 = 26 weeks and 1 odd day.
Day on December 1 = Thursday + 1 day = Friday.
Since December starts on a Friday, the Wednesdays fall on the 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th. There are only 4 Wednesdays in December 1916.
Therefore, neither June nor December had 5 Wednesdays in the year 1916.
Therefore, the correct option is 4.
Alternate Method
We can use the day of the week formula: Day = (Date + Month Code + Year Code + Century Code + Leap Year Adjustment) mod 7.
For the year 1916: Year = 16, Leap Year count = 16 ÷ 4 = 4. Century Code (1900s) = 0.
For June 1 (Month Code = 4): (1 + 4 + 16 + 4 + 0) mod 7 = 25 mod 7 = 4 (Thursday).
For December 1 (Month Code = 5): (1 + 5 + 16 + 4 + 0) mod 7 = 26 mod 7 = 5 (Friday).
A 30-day month (June) needs to start on Tuesday or Wednesday to have 5 Wednesdays. A 31-day month (December) needs to start on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday to have 5 Wednesdays.
Since June started on Thursday and December started on Friday, neither month had 5 Wednesdays.
Hence, the correct answer is Neither I nor II.