Question 107·Medium·Transitions
Urban gardening initiatives have been embraced by city residents eager to grow their own produce. Many community gardens, however, struggle to secure permanent access to land. ______ city officials have begun to create policies that guarantee long-term leases for these gardens.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For SAT transition questions, always read at least one full sentence before and after the blank, then clearly state in your own words how the ideas relate: are they adding information, contrasting, giving an example, or showing a cause-and-effect/result? Next, quickly label each answer choice by the type of connection it usually signals, eliminate choices whose function doesn’t match the relationship you identified, and then select the remaining option that best preserves the logical flow of the passage.
Hints
Look at what happens in each sentence
First, summarize each sentence in your own words: What situation is being described in the first part, and what is happening with city officials in the part after the blank?
Ask how the two ideas are connected
Does the second part simply add another fact, contrast with the problem, give an example of it, or describe something that happens because of it?
Use the meanings of the transition words
Think about what type of connection each answer choice usually signals (addition, contrast, example, or some other link), and pick the one whose usual role matches the relationship you noticed between the sentences.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the relationship between the sentences
Read the two sentences together:
- Sentence 1: Urban gardening is popular with residents.
- Sentence 2: Many gardens struggle to get permanent land. ______ city officials have started creating long-term lease policies.
The second sentence sets up a problem (gardens struggle to secure land), and the clause after the blank describes what city officials are doing in response to that problem.
Decide what kind of transition is needed
Ask: How does the second part relate to the problem just stated?
- It is not another similar problem; it is an action taken in response.
- It is not an opposite idea; it actually follows logically from the problem.
- It is not a specific example of one struggling garden; it’s a general policy change.
So the missing word should connect the problem (struggles for land) to the resulting action (officials creating policies).
Classify the answer choices by function
Now think about what each transition word usually does in a sentence:
- "Additionally," typically adds another similar point.
- "Nevertheless," usually shows contrast or an unexpected twist.
- "For instance," normally introduces an example of what was just mentioned.
- "Consequently," indicates a result or outcome of what came before.
Only one of these functions matches the relationship you identified in Step 2.
Match the function to the context
Because the clause after the blank (city officials creating policies) is a result of the problem that many gardens struggle to secure land, the transition that shows a result is the best fit.
Therefore, the correct choice is "Consequently,".