Question 116·Easy·Transitions
Social media has enabled small businesses to reach customers around the globe at minimal cost. ______ many local artisans still prefer to sell their products exclusively at neighborhood markets, valuing face-to-face interaction over online exposure.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentence (or sentences) on both sides of the blank and first decide the relationship between the ideas: are they similar, contrasted, example/detail, or cause-and-effect? Once you’ve named the relationship in your own words, eliminate any options whose usual function (addition, example, result, contrast, etc.) does not match that relationship, even if they sound smooth. Choose the remaining option that clearly matches the logical connection, not just the one that “feels right” when you read it quickly.
Hints
Compare the two parts of the sentence
Read the full sentence without a transition. Ask yourself: does the second part go in the same direction as the first, or does it push back against what you might expect from the first?
Think about the artisans’ choice
Social media lets small businesses reach global customers at low cost. But what do the artisans choose to do instead, and how does that relate to the idea of global online reach?
Eliminate mismatched relationships
Decide if the second part is adding another benefit, giving a specific example, showing a cause-and-effect result, or doing something else. Cross out any options whose typical use (addition, example, cause-effect) does not match what’s happening between the two ideas.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the first idea
Read the first sentence: "Social media has enabled small businesses to reach customers around the globe at minimal cost." This describes a benefit of social media for businesses: easy, cheap, worldwide reach.
Understand the second idea
Now read the second part: "many local artisans still prefer to sell their products exclusively at neighborhood markets, valuing face-to-face interaction over online exposure." This shows that despite the benefit mentioned earlier, some artisans do not take advantage of global online reach and instead stick to local, in-person selling.
Decide how the ideas are related
Compare the two ideas:
- First: Social media makes global, low-cost customer reach possible.
- Second: Many artisans still choose only local, face-to-face selling instead of online exposure.
These ideas are not adding similar points, giving an example, or showing a result. Instead, the second idea goes against or in a different direction from the expectation created by the first: you might expect everyone to go online, but some do not.
Match the relationship to the best transition
Now match the relationship to the answer choices:
- "Additionally," adds similar information.
- "For instance," introduces an example.
- "As a result," shows cause and effect.
- "However," shows a contrast or an unexpected difference.
Because the second idea contrasts with the first, the only transition that correctly signals this relationship is "However,".