Transitions
What this skill is
Transitions questions give you a short text with a blank at the start of a sentence (or clause) and ask, "Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?" You choose the word or phrase that shows how the sentence relates to the one before it: contrast, cause and effect, an example, an addition, and so on.
Key ideas
- The question is about logic, not grammar. Every choice is grammatically fine.
- Read the sentence before the blank and the sentence with the blank, then decide how they relate before looking at the choices.
- Transitions sort into categories. If two choices are in the same category (e.g., "However" and "Nevertheless"), and only one answer can be right, the answer is probably in a different category.
- Some relationships are subtle: concession ("yes, but...") differs from plain contrast, and restatement ("in other words") differs from example ("for instance").
- Sometimes you need the sentence two back to see the real relationship.
Formulas and rules
| Relationship | Transitions | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | however, in contrast, by comparison | The two ideas point in different directions |
| Concession | nevertheless, even so, still, granted | "Despite the first idea, the second is true" |
| Cause-effect | therefore, as a result, consequently, thus | First idea causes the second |
| Addition | additionally, moreover, furthermore, likewise | Second adds a similar point |
| Example | for example, for instance | Second is a specific case of the first |
| Elaboration | specifically, in fact, indeed | Second gives more detail or a stronger version |
| Restatement | in other words, that is | Second says the same thing more simply |
| Alternative | instead, rather | Second replaces the first |
| Time / sequence | then, later, meanwhile, at the same time | Order in time, or simultaneous |
Worked example 1 (easy)
Snow leopards live at elevations where the air is thin and cold. ______ their large nasal cavities warm the air before it reaches their lungs.
A) However, B) Similarly, C) Specifically, D) Instead,
Relationship: the second sentence describes a particular adaptation that helps with the cold air just mentioned, so it is a specific detail.
- A (contrast): the sentences don't disagree.
- B (addition): the second sentence isn't a separate, similar fact; it explains how the leopards cope with the first one.
- D (alternative): nothing is being replaced.
- C introduces a specific detail about how they handle the cold. Answer: C.
Worked example 2 (SAT-level)
The architect's design for the new library was praised for its glass walls, which fill the reading rooms with natural light. Some librarians worried that the sunlight would fade the books' covers. ______ the architect insisted on keeping the glass, adding a special coating that blocks most ultraviolet rays.
A) Therefore, B) Similarly, C) For instance, D) Even so,
- Sentence 2 raises a concern; sentence 3 keeps the glass anyway. That is "despite the concern," which is a concession.
- A (cause): the worry didn't cause keeping the glass.
- B (addition): keeping the glass is not similar to the worry.
- C (example): sentence 3 isn't an example of the worry.
- D, "Even so," means "despite that." Answer: D.
Common traps
- Reading only the blank's sentence. The relationship depends on what comes before.
- Cause-effect versus sequence. "Then" just means "next"; "therefore" means "because of that."
- Example versus restatement. "For example" needs a specific case; "In other words" needs the same idea rephrased.
- Contrast versus concession. "However" contrasts two facts; "Nevertheless" says something happens despite the first idea. When the second sentence goes ahead anyway, concession usually fits better.
- Picking a transition by feel. Say the relationship in plain words ("because of that," "despite that," "for instance") before choosing.