Which version correctly corrects the sentence about standardized testing?

• A. Although standardized testing has been criticized as an unfair measure of a student's ability, it's unlikely that all US colleges will stop requiring these test scores.
• B. Although standardized testing has been criticized as an unfair measure of a student's ability; it's unlikely that all US colleges will stop requiring these test scores.
• C. Although standardized testing has been criticized as an unfair measure of a student's ability, its unlikely that all US colleges will stop requiring these test scores.
• D. Although standardized testing has been criticized as an unfair measure of a student's ability, it's unlikely that all US colleges will stop requiring these test scores?

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested is how to correctly punctuate a sentence that begins with an introductory dependent clause. When a clause starting with words like “Although” comes first, it cannot stand alone, so you follow it with a comma before the main clause that comes next. Here the main clause is “it’s unlikely that all US colleges will stop requiring these test scores,” which is a complete thought, so a comma after the introductory clause makes the sentence flow correctly.

The contraction should be “it’s” for “it is,” not “its,” which is a possessive pronoun and would be wrong here. “These test scores” properly refers back to the scores in question. The sentence should end with a period, not a question mark.

The other options fail because one inserts a semicolon after a dependent clause (which isn’t allowed), another uses the incorrect possessive “its,” and another changes the sentence’s end to a question mark.