Question 131·Medium·Transitions
Many city planners dismiss rooftop gardens as merely aesthetic additions to urban skylines. ______ recent studies by environmental engineers suggest that such gardens can significantly lower building cooling costs, reduce stormwater runoff, and provide habitats for pollinators.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentence before and after the blank and first decide the logical relationship: are you seeing addition (similar idea), contrast (opposite idea), cause-and-effect, or example/clarification? Once you’ve named the relationship in your own words, quickly test each option by plugging it into the sentence and asking if it matches that relationship and keeps the meaning logical; eliminate any choice that would incorrectly suggest a result, example, or alternative when the sentences actually disagree or vice versa.
Hints
Compare the two sentences
Read the first sentence, then the second, and ask yourself: Do the ideas agree, give more detail, give an example, show a result, or go against each other?
Focus on the key words
Look closely at words like “dismiss” and the list of benefits (“lower…costs,” “reduce…runoff,” “provide habitats”). How does the attitude in the second part relate to the attitude in the first?
Match meaning, not sound
Think about what type of relationship the blank needs (example, result, alternative, or disagreement), then cross out any choices whose meanings don’t match that relationship when you read the full sentence aloud.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the idea in the first sentence
Read the first sentence carefully: “Many city planners dismiss rooftop gardens as merely aesthetic additions to urban skylines.”
This means:
- City planners dismiss rooftop gardens (they don’t take them seriously).
- They see them as only decorative (“merely aesthetic”), not useful.
So the first sentence is negative about rooftop gardens’ usefulness.
Understand the idea in the second sentence
Now read the second part: “recent studies by environmental engineers suggest that such gardens can significantly lower building cooling costs, reduce stormwater runoff, and provide habitats for pollinators.”
This means:
- Studies show rooftop gardens have practical, measurable benefits.
- These benefits include lower costs, less runoff, and habitats for animals.
So the second sentence is positive about rooftop gardens’ usefulness and presents evidence of their value.
Decide how the two ideas are related
Compare the two ideas:
- First: planners think rooftop gardens are only decorative.
- Second: studies show they have important environmental and economic benefits.
These ideas do not match; the second sentence challenges or contradicts the planners’ opinion. The transition must show that the new information goes against what many planners think, not that it is a result, an example, or a replacement action.
Test each transition choice against that relationship
Now match the choices to the relationship you found (a contrast between planners’ view and the studies):
- Consequently = as a result. This would mean the studies are a result of planners dismissing rooftop gardens, which does not make sense here.
- For example = introduces an example of the previous idea. The studies are not an example of planners dismissing rooftop gardens; they oppose that view.
- Instead = in place of something / as an alternative. We are not suggesting an alternative action to rooftop gardens or to planners; we are presenting conflicting evidence.
- However = signals a contrast with what came before. This fits perfectly because the studies contradict the planners’ dismissal.
Therefore, the correct transition is “However.”