Question 146·Medium·Transitions
For decades, historians assumed the set of unsigned diaries had been written by a seasoned explorer who accompanied the early Arctic expeditions. ____ recent linguistic analysis indicates that the author was, in fact, a teenage deckhand with limited formal education.
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 describe the relationship in your own words (e.g., “new evidence that contradicts an old belief,” “result,” “similar idea,” “example”). Next, label that relationship type (contrast, cause-effect, similarity, example) and eliminate any choices whose meaning does not match that relationship, even if they sound smooth. Choose the option whose logical function—not just its style—fits the connection between the two parts of the sentence.
Hints
Compare the two parts of the sentence
Read the whole sentence, ignoring the blank. Ask yourself: Does the new information support the old belief about the diaries, or does it disagree with it?
Focus on key words in each clause
Look at the words "assumed" in the first part and "indicates that the author was, in fact" in the second part. Do these suggest that the new analysis is confirming the old idea or challenging it?
Match the logical relationship to the type of transition
Once you know whether the two ideas agree, disagree, show cause-and-effect, or give an example, check which choice introduces that kind of relationship.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the first clause says
Read the part before the blank: "For decades, historians assumed the set of unsigned diaries had been written by a seasoned explorer who accompanied the early Arctic expeditions."
This tells us an old belief or assumption about who wrote the diaries: a seasoned explorer.
Understand what the second clause says
Now read after the blank: "recent linguistic analysis indicates that the author was, in fact, a teenage deckhand with limited formal education."
This new information disagrees with the old assumption. It says the author was not a seasoned explorer but a teenage deckhand. So the relationship between the two parts is one of contradiction or correction, not agreement or cause-and-effect.
Match the relationship to a type of transition
Now think about what kind of transition fits a contradiction between an old belief and new evidence.
- A transition of similarity would say the second idea is like the first.
- A cause-and-effect transition would say the second idea is a result of the first.
- An example transition would say the second idea illustrates or gives a sample of the first.
- A contrast/correction transition would show that the second idea goes against or corrects the first.
Here, we need that last type: a contrast/correction.
Evaluate the answer choices and choose the contrast transition
Now check each option:
- "Similarly," shows similarity, but the ideas are not similar.
- "Consequently," shows cause-and-effect, but the new analysis is not a result of the old assumption; it overturns it.
- "For example," introduces an example, but the teenage deckhand is not an example of a seasoned explorer.
- That leaves the option that signals contrast/correction: "However,", which correctly shows that the recent linguistic analysis contradicts the historians’ earlier assumption.