Question 107·Medium·Transitions
Researchers once believed that coral reefs could recover swiftly from bleaching events. ______ recent studies indicate that repeated bleaching severely weakens reefs, slowing their recovery for decades.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and read the full sentence (and often the sentence before it) to decide how the ideas are related: are they similar, contrasting, cause-and-effect, or adding detail? Once you’ve named the relationship in your own words, check which choice matches that function and eliminate any transitions whose usual role (result, similarity, contrast, addition, etc.) does not fit. Finally, plug your chosen transition back into the sentence to confirm that the logic and tone are correct and nothing is turned into an incorrect cause/effect or agreement relationship.
Hints
Compare the two ideas
Read the sentence without any transition. How does the information after the blank relate to the older belief about reefs recovering swiftly from bleaching?
Decide the type of relationship
Ask yourself: Is the newer research supporting the older belief, showing a result of it, or challenging it?
Think in transition categories
Transitions generally show relationships like cause and effect, similarity, or contrast. Which kind of relationship best describes how the new studies relate to the researchers’ earlier belief?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand each part of the sentence
Read the sentence with the blank ignored:
- First part: Researchers once believed coral reefs could recover swiftly from bleaching.
- Second part: Recent studies indicate that repeated bleaching severely weakens reefs and slows their recovery for decades.
So the first part is optimistic about quick recovery, and the second part is much more negative about recovery.
Identify the logical relationship
Ask how the second idea relates to the first:
- Does the new information support the old belief? No, it disagrees with it.
- Does the first idea cause the second? No, they are just two different claims about reef recovery.
The key relationship is that the newer research contradicts or goes against the earlier belief.
Match the relationship to the choices by type
Now think about what each wrong option usually shows:
- Choice A, 'Therefore,' shows a result or conclusion.
- Choice B, 'Similarly,' shows that two ideas are alike.
- Choice D, 'Consequently,' also shows a result.
None of these fit a situation where newer evidence challenges a previous belief, so A, B, and D should be eliminated.
Select the remaining transition that fits
With the other options eliminated, the remaining choice, C, 'However,' is the transition that shows a contrast between the old belief and the new, opposing findings. So the correct answer is C) However,.