Question 125·Medium·Transitions
Researchers have long considered storing renewable energy in large-scale batteries impractical because current technology is expensive and inefficient. _____ new advances in solid-state battery design have dramatically lowered costs and improved performance, making grid-scale storage more feasible.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and read the surrounding sentences to decide how the ideas are related: same direction (addition), contrast, cause/effect, example, or time/order. Summarize that relationship in your own words (e.g., “this second sentence flips the first idea”). Then eliminate any transition whose usual function does not match that relationship, and finally plug the remaining option into the sentence to confirm it keeps the logic and tone consistent.
Hints
Compare the ideas before and after the blank
Reread the first sentence and then the second. Ask yourself: does the second sentence agree with the main idea of the first, or does it change or challenge it?
Classify the relationship
Decide whether the second sentence is adding more of the same kind of information, giving an example of the first sentence, showing a result of it, or showing a shift away from what people used to think.
Match options to relationships
Look at what each transition word usually does (add more, give an example, show a result, or show a contrast) and cross out any that don’t match the relationship you identified between the two sentences.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
First sentence: Researchers have long thought large-scale battery storage for renewable energy is impractical because it is expensive and inefficient.
Second sentence: New advances in solid-state battery design have lowered costs and improved performance, making large-scale storage more feasible.
So the second sentence updates or changes the situation described in the first.
Identify the logical relationship between the two sentences
Ask: Does the second sentence
- continue the same idea,
- give an example of it,
- show a result of it,
- or present a change from it?
Here, the first sentence says storage is impractical, but the second explains that new advances now make storage more feasible. That means the second sentence challenges or reverses the earlier view rather than supporting it.
Match each transition type to that relationship
Now think about what each option usually does:
- A transition that adds information continues the same direction.
- A transition that introduces an example shows a specific case of a general statement.
- A transition that shows a result expresses cause and effect.
- A transition that signals contrast shows a difference or exception.
We need the type that signals a shift from “impractical” to “more feasible.”
Test the choices in the sentence and choose the best fit
Plug each option into the blank and see if the meaning between the sentences is correct:
- “Furthermore,” would say the second sentence supports the idea that storage is impractical, which is the opposite of what it does.
- “For example,” would treat the second sentence as a specific instance of storage being impractical, which does not fit.
- “Consequently,” would say the second sentence is a result of the first belief, which is not logical here.
- “However,” correctly signals that the new advances go against the long-held view that storage is impractical.
So the best transition is D) However,.