Question 137·Medium·Transitions
Researchers at the University of Vermont studied winter ticks on moose; they found that rising temperatures allow ticks to reproduce earlier in the season, leading to larger infestations. ______ conservationists have begun experimenting with targeted tick-control measures to protect moose populations.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read at least one full sentence before and after the blank, then briefly label the relationship between the ideas (for example, cause→effect, example, contrast, similarity, or sequence). Next, translate each answer choice into its basic function in your own words and eliminate any that don’t match the relationship you identified. Avoid choosing a word just because it “sounds good”—it must clearly express the logical connection between the specific ideas in the sentence.
Hints
Look at the ideas before and after the blank
Read the full sentence, ignoring the blank for a moment. What is the main idea of the first part, and what is the main idea of the second part?
Decide how the second idea connects to the first
Ask yourself: Is the second part presenting something opposite, something similar, a different possibility, or something that happens in response to the first part?
Connect each choice to its usual function
Think about what each option typically signals in a sentence (for example, contrast vs. similarity vs. alternative vs. follow-up) and see which one makes the most logical sense between these two clauses.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each part of the sentence is saying
Read the whole sentence around the blank:
- First part: Researchers found that rising temperatures let ticks reproduce earlier, causing larger infestations on moose.
- Second part (after the blank): Conservationists have begun testing targeted tick-control methods to protect moose.
So the first part presents a problem, and the second part presents what people are doing in response.
Identify the logical relationship
Ask: How is the second idea related to the first?
The conservationists’ actions are motivated by or follow from the problem described earlier. They are not doing something opposite, similar, or conditional; they are taking action because of the larger infestations.
So the relationship is that the second clause is a follow-up action or outcome of the first.
Match the relationship to the type of transition
Now think about what each type of transition usually shows:
- A word that shows an alternative possibility (what would happen if not) does not fit a straightforward cause-and-response situation.
- A word that shows similarity is used when the second idea is like the first one.
- A word that shows contrast is used when the second idea goes against or is surprising given the first.
- A word that shows a resulting action or follow-up fits when one event leads to or prompts another.
The sentence clearly needs the last type: something that shows the conservationists’ actions result from the tick problem.
Choose the option that fits: result/follow-up action
Now check the answer choices:
- “Otherwise,” = alternative possibility
- “Similarly,” = similarity
- “Nevertheless,” = contrast
- “Consequently,” = result or follow-up action
Because the conservationists’ experiments are a direct response to the tick infestations, the transition that signals a result is best. The correct answer is “Consequently,” (Choice C).