Final answer:
The Supreme Court typically hears fewer than 100 cases per year, far less than any of the numerical options provided. They review less than 2 percent of the as many as 10,000 cases petitioned to them annually.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Supreme Court of the United States selects only a handful of cases to be placed on its docket out of the thousands of petitions it receives annually. Specifically, the Court accepts fewer than 2 percent of up to ten thousand cases it is asked to review each year. This means that the justices hear far fewer cases annually than options A, C, and D suggest, making B the correct answer.
The Supreme Court's sessions span from the first Monday in October until late June of the next year, and during this time, the Court is engaged in hearing oral arguments, considering petitions for writs of certiorari, and deciding the cases. Justices typically hear cases from October to April, with their schedule including both argument sessions and private conferences to discuss and vote on the cases.