Question 106·Easy·Transitions
Many historians credit the island of St. Helena with sparking Charles Darwin’s early fascination with botany. ______ Darwin spent only a brief period on the island, the exotic plants he observed there influenced his later research on evolution.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the choices and read the sentence(s) around the blank to decide the relationship in your own words: is it contrast, cause-and-effect, example, addition, or time? Then quickly label each option by its usual function (contrast, result, time, emphasis, etc.) and choose the one that matches the relationship you identified. Avoid picking transitions just because they "sound good"—they must fit the logic between the ideas.
Hints
Focus on the two clauses around the blank
Read the part before and after the blank: how does "spent only a brief period on the island" relate to "influenced his later research on evolution"?
Check if the ideas support or contrast
Ask yourself: Would you normally expect a brief visit to have a big impact, or does that seem a bit unexpected? Does the sentence emphasize a surprise, a reason, a result, or just add more of the same kind of information?
Match the answer choices to idea relationships
Think about what each option usually shows: emphasis/addition, contrast, time at the same moment, or cause-and-effect. Which relationship fits the sentence best?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the relationship between the two ideas
Break the sentence into parts:
- First idea: "Darwin spent only a brief period on the island"
- Second idea: "the exotic plants he observed there influenced his later research on evolution" Ask: Do these two ideas support each other, contrast with each other, show time, or show cause-and-effect?
Decide what kind of connection is needed
Spending only a brief period somewhere usually suggests that it might not have a large impact. But the sentence says that the exotic plants he observed there influenced his later research, which did have a large impact. So there is a contrast: despite the short time, the influence was significant.
Match each answer choice to its usual function
Now think about what each transition usually does:
- "Indeed," typically adds emphasis or an additional supporting point.
- "Meanwhile," usually shows that something is happening at the same time as something else.
- "Therefore," introduces a result or conclusion.
- One choice introduces a contrast between what might be expected and what actually happened. Only a contrast transition makes sense between the short visit and the strong influence of the plants.
Select the transition that correctly shows contrast
Because the sentence needs to show that even with Darwin’s brief time on St. Helena, the plants still strongly influenced his research, the correct transition is "Although", which introduces that contrast-clause: "Although Darwin spent only a brief period on the island, the exotic plants he observed there influenced his later research on evolution."