Question 1·Easy·Transitions
High-speed rail offers several environmental benefits. It consumes less energy per passenger mile than automobiles. ______ it emits significantly fewer greenhouse gases than short-haul flights of comparable distance.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For SAT transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and read the surrounding sentences to decide the relationship: addition (another similar point), contrast, cause-and-effect, example, or conclusion. Once you know the relationship, quickly group the choices by function (e.g., contrast words like "however" vs. addition words like "also") and eliminate any that do not match the relationship you identified. This top-down approach is faster and more reliable than testing each option by feel.
Hints
Look at the ideas before and after the blank
Ask yourself: Does the second part (after the blank) agree with the earlier ideas, or does it contrast with them?
Decide the type of connection
Is the sentence with the blank introducing a contrast, an opposite case, an example of the previous statement, or another separate benefit?
Match option meanings to the relationship
Think about what each transition usually does: which ones show contrast, which introduce examples, and which connect similar ideas.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
First sentence: "High-speed rail offers several environmental benefits." This is a general claim.
Second sentence begins with: "It consumes less energy per passenger mile than automobiles." This gives one specific benefit.
The part after the blank: "it emits significantly fewer greenhouse gases than short-haul flights of comparable distance." This is another environmental benefit.
So the text is listing multiple benefits of high-speed rail.
Identify the relationship between the sentences
The sentence with the blank is not disagreeing with or qualifying the previous idea. Instead, it adds another positive point about environmental benefits: fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
So the relationship is: first benefit → second benefit. That means we need a transition that connects two similar, positive ideas.
Match each option to the type of relationship it signals
Now think about what each option usually signals:
- "Nevertheless," shows contrast or opposition ("even so").
- "For example," introduces a specific instance of the previous general idea.
- "Contrarily," also shows opposition (the opposite case).
- One option signals that you are adding another point of the same kind.
Since the second clause is another benefit, we need the option that adds a new, similar idea, not one that contrasts or gives an example.
Choose the transition that shows addition
Because the clause after the blank presents an additional environmental benefit (fewer greenhouse gas emissions) alongside the first benefit (less energy use), the most logical transition is "Additionally,", which signals that you are adding another related point to a list of benefits.