On which date in August 2016 did the Rio Olympic Games officially begin with the opening ceremony?

Introduction / Context:
Olympic Games are among the most important global sporting events, and competitive exams frequently ask about host cities and key dates. The Rio Olympic Games took place in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This question asks for the exact date in August 2016 when the Games were officially opened with the opening ceremony, which marks the formal start of the event in the Olympic schedule.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The event is the Rio Olympic Games 2016.
• The question focuses specifically on the date of the opening ceremony.
• Options provide several dates in early August, all close to each other.
• We assume that the date refers to local time in Rio de Janeiro as recorded in official Olympic records.

Concept / Approach:
The Rio 2016 Olympics were held in August 2016, with the opening ceremony traditionally occurring on a Friday evening. The official opening ceremony took place on 5 August 2016 at the Maracana Stadium. Therefore the correct approach is to recall this key date, often mentioned in news coverage and sports timelines, and select 5th August from the choices provided. The other dates correspond to days immediately before or after but do not match the exact opening ceremony date.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the tournament correctly as Rio 2016 Olympic Games.Step 2: Recall that the official inauguration was widely reported for 5 August 2016.Step 3: Match this date with the options: 5th, 6th, 4th, 3rd, and 7th August.Step 4: Confirm that 5 August is the correct date for the opening ceremony at Maracana Stadium.Step 5: Choose 5th August as the answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
One way to verify is to remember that major newspapers and sports channels covered the opening ceremony as taking place on Friday, 5 August 2016, with the closing ceremony later in the month. Many fact sheets about Rio 2016 list the Games dates from 5 to 21 August. This consistent framing of the Games provides an independent check that 5 August is indeed the correct opening date.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The 6th, 4th, 3rd, and 7th August are all close in time, which makes them tempting distractors. However, they do not correspond to the official opening ceremony date. Some events, such as preliminary matches in certain sports, may begin slightly earlier than the ceremony, but the term “started” in the sense of formal opening refers specifically to the ceremony on 5 August. Therefore, all other dates are incorrect in the context of this question.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes confuse the date when specific competitions started with the date of the opening ceremony, or they may remember only that it was “early August” and then guess. Another common mistake is to misalign time zone differences and assume that coverage in their local time corresponds to a different calendar date. Carefully recalling the official Olympic schedule helps avoid this type of error.

Final Answer:
The Rio Olympic Games officially began with the opening ceremony on 5th August 2016.