han salido vs salieron

Question

5¿________ mucho en los últimos meses?Have they gone out a lot in the last few months?(HINT: Choose the correct tense for European Spanish (not Latin American))
because it said last few months I put Salieron but the answer was han salido.

Answer

Hi there Julie -We can probably assume that the description "during the last few months" includes "yesterday" [and possibly even today], and that the speaker is even wondering what it might imply for the future ...Whenever there is some sort of relevance or link to the present, then use the "han + past participle" construction. In fact, sentences of this nature can often be translated directly from the English > In other words, a past participle following a "have ...", usually tends to correspond with "haber + participle" in Spanish.However, you carnot always use this latter guideline 'in reverse'; i.e., a fair number of English sentences which do not follow the "have + participle" construction, will adopt it in Spanish [although preferences in that regard do vary around the Hispanic-speaking world - even within the Iberian peninsula, in fact].Cheers, David Mc

Answer

Hola Julie
The time phrase "the last few months" implies (for a European Spanish mind) that this is still connected to the present, as David said, therefore you will generally see the perfect tense used.
Other similar time phrases with the same effect are for example:
Recientemente...
Esta semana...
Este mes...
Este verano...
En la última década... 
We see ourselves still inside that week, that month, that summer, that decade at the moment of saying it.
Saludos