In formal writing, which sentence avoids contractions?

• A. It's important to stay focused.
• B. It is important to stay focused.
• C. It was n't acceptable.
• D. It is not important.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is using a formal tone by avoiding contractions. In formal writing, full forms like “It is” are preferred over contractions such as “It’s.” The sentence that uses the full form, “It is important to stay focused,” keeps the tone direct and professional and clearly conveys a positive, actionable point about focus.

The other choices lean away from that standard in different ways. One uses a contraction, which isn’t appropriate for formal style. Another looks like a malformed contraction (“was n't”), which is not acceptable in proper formal writing and breaks the smooth, precise tone you want. The remaining option, while not using a contraction, shifts the meaning by negating importance, which alters the intended message rather than the formality.