Question

Read the excerpt from an argumentative essay about college tuition.

Is a college education worth the price today? College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years. More than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.

Which revision offers the most improvement in sentence fluency?
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years because more than half of all recent college graduates are unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years; however, more than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years; therefore, more than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree.
College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years and more than half of all recent college graduates are unemployed and others are in jobs that do not require a college degree.

Answer 1

"College tuition has almost doubled in the last twenty years; however, more than half of all recent college graduates are currently unemployed or in jobs that do not require a college degree."

Explanation: This version correctly links two contrasting ideas with a semicolon + conjunctive adverb, improving sentence flow without implying a causal relationship (as "because" or "therefore" would) or creating awkward repetition.