To solve the inequality \( x - 5 < \frac{x}{6} \), the best first step is to eliminate the fraction. Among the options provided, option D is the correct first step:
D. Multiply both sides of the inequality by 6 to simplify: \( 6(x - 5) < x \)
This can be rewritten as: \[ 6x - 30 < x \]
You can then proceed to solve the inequality from there.
The other options either involve dividing by a variable (which can be risky without knowing its sign) or do not directly simplify the equation effectively.