Question 142·Easy·Transitions
Researchers recently discovered a bacterium capable of degrading certain plastics in cold ocean waters. ______ they are now testing whether the microbe can be used to reduce plastic waste on shorelines.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentences around the blank and first decide, in your own words, how the ideas are related (time, cause-and-effect, contrast, example, etc.) before looking at the choices. Then quickly match that relationship to the meanings of the transition words, eliminate any that signal the wrong relationship, and plug the remaining option into the sentence to confirm it keeps the meaning smooth and logical.
Hints
Read both parts together
Read the sentence before and after the blank together and think about how the second part (the testing of the microbe) relates to the first part (the discovery of the bacterium).
Name the relationship in your own words
Ask yourself: Is the second action happening at the same time as the first, is it opposing the first idea, is it giving a specific example of the first, or is it something that happens because of the first?
Test each option in the sentence
Try plugging each transition into the blank and read the full sentence. Which one makes the most logical sense, without changing the meaning or creating an odd or unnecessary contrast?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the relationship between the two ideas
Read the full sentence without a transition: “Researchers recently discovered a bacterium capable of degrading certain plastics in cold ocean waters. ___ they are now testing whether the microbe can be used to reduce plastic waste on shorelines.”
Ask: Is the second part simply happening at the same time, giving an opposite point, giving an example, or happening because of the first part?
Identify the logical connection
The discovery of the bacterium is the first event. Because of that discovery, researchers are now testing whether it can reduce plastic waste on shorelines.
So the second clause describes a result or next step that follows from the first one. This is a cause-and-effect relationship: discovery ➝ testing.
Eliminate choices that don’t match that relationship
Go through three of the options and see if their meanings fit:
- “Meanwhile,” usually shows two things happening at the same time, not one causing the other.
- “Nevertheless,” introduces a contrast or something surprising given what came before.
- “For instance,” introduces an example of the previous idea.
None of these express a cause-and-effect link between the discovery and the new testing, so they should be eliminated.
Select the transition that shows cause and effect
The remaining choice, “Consequently,”, means that what follows happens as a result of what came before. That perfectly matches the idea that, because the bacterium was discovered, researchers are now testing its use on shorelines. So the correct answer is B) Consequently,.