A growing number of urban school districts have embraced the practice

The best answer is (C). How rigorous are the questions on these standardized tests that pertain to English skills? This question would be most useful in evaluating the validity of “social promotion” because it would help to determine how well the test measures the student’s English proficiency and whether it is a fair and reliable criterion for promotion. If the test questions are too easy or too hard, then the test may not reflect the student’s true ability and may not prepare them for the next grade level.

The other questions are either irrelevant or insufficient to evaluate the validity of “social promotion”.

(A) Do students have the option of taking a standardized test in a language other than English? This question is irrelevant to the validity of “social promotion” because it does not address the issue of whether passing the test is a good indicator of readiness for the next grade. It also assumes that English is not the primary language of some students, which is not stated in the paragraph.

(B) What is the rate of graduation from schools at which social promotion" is commonly practiced? This question is insufficient to evaluate the validity of “social promotion” because it does not account for other factors that may affect graduation rates, such as student motivation, teacher quality, curriculum design, etc. It also does not specify what constitutes a high or low graduation rate, or how it compares to other schools.

(D) How prevalent is “social promotion" among school districts in more suburban areas? This question is irrelevant to the validity of “social promotion” because it does not address the issue of whether passing the test is a good indicator of readiness for the next grade. It also assumes that there is a difference between urban and suburban schools, which is not stated in the paragraph.

(E) If a student fails a standardized test, is he or she given the chance to take it again before having to be kept back? This question is insufficient to evaluate the validity of “social promotion” because it does not address the issue of whether passing the test is a good indicator of readiness for the next grade. It also assumes that failing the test is the only reason for being kept back, which is not stated in the paragraph.