… Ali did not win the elections, he has continued to award scholarships to the less privileged

Step 1: Analyze the question The sentence is: "........ Ali did not win the elections, he has continued to award scholarships to the less privileged."

The blank comes at the start and joins two full clauses:

• Clause 1: Ali did not win the elections
• Clause 2: he has continued to award scholarships

The two clauses contrast with each other. You would expect him to stop, but he didn't.

Step 2: The concept We need a subordinating conjunction of concession. It introduces a dependent clause and links it to the main clause with a comma.

Let's check each option:

• A. Nevertheless: a conjunctive adverb. It connects two separate sentences, or follows a semicolon: "Ali did not win; nevertheless, he has continued..." It cannot introduce a dependent clause, so it doesn't fit.
• B. However: also a conjunctive adverb, with the same problem. "However, Ali did not win the elections, he has continued..." would be a comma splice.
• C. Although: a subordinating conjunction. "Although Ali did not win the elections, he has continued to award scholarships..." is grammatically correct and has the right contrasting meaning.
• D. Despite: a preposition. It must be followed by a noun or gerund ("Despite not winning..."), not a full clause.

Step 3: Answer The correct option is C. Although.

Tip: In WASSCE, remember this pattern:

• Although / though / even though + subject + verb (a clause)
• Despite / in spite of + noun or -ing form
• However / nevertheless are used between two sentences, usually with a semicolon or full stop before them and a comma after them.