What happens if the referee leaves the playing area after the fourth quarter signal?

The selected answer is accurate because the rules state that the approval of the game score occurs only when all officials have exited the playing area. This means that until the last official has left, there remains the potential for changes or corrections to the score that were not made during the game. Leaving the playing area signifies that the officials are no longer in a position to oversee the game or make any necessary corrections, thus locking in the final score as official.

The other options present scenarios that do not align with the established regulations. For instance, the idea that the game is automatically over and cannot be contested once a referee leaves does not take into account that the presence of all officials is necessary for validating the final score. Similarly, the notion that a score can be altered by the umpire fails to recognize that the score approval process involves all officials, not just one. Lastly, the possibility of correcting mistakes as long as the score hasn't been called final does not apply since the final call on the score is contingent on the absence of officials from the playing area. Thus, when they leave, the integrity of the score can no longer be assured.