Final answer:
The government divides its earnings into quarters, which are three-month segments of a fiscal year. The U.S. fiscal year begins on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the following year, and each quarter represents 25% of the year.
Step-by-step explanation:
The government divides its earning marks into quarters, which are segments of a fiscal year. The correct answer to the student's question is every three months, which is approximately how often quarters occur (although none of the options directly says 'three months'). Each quarter marks one-fourth of the fiscal year. In the context of the U.S. federal government, a fiscal year starts on October 1 and ends on September 30 of the following year. This annual cycle is important for budgeting, appropriations, and financial reporting.
To put it in perspective, if a calendar year is compared to a dollar, four quarters make up that dollar. Each quarter in this scenario would represent a three-month period, accounting for 25% of the year, as four quarters make up the whole.