Question 153·Hard·Transitions
Initial feasibility studies suggested that installing rooftop solar panels in colder climates would yield only marginal economic benefits. ______ long-term data from several northern cities reveal that households with rooftop arrays have recouped installation costs several years sooner than analysts originally predicted.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first read the sentence before and after the blank and ignore the answer choices. Decide the relationship on your own: is the second idea similar, contrasting, a cause or result, or an example of the first? Once you’ve labeled the relationship, eliminate any choices whose meanings don’t match that relationship, and then pick the remaining option that best fits the tone and logic of the passage.
Hints
Compare the two parts of the sentence
Read carefully what the first sentence says about the expected economic benefits of rooftop solar panels, and then what the second part (after the blank) says about the actual long-term results.
Ask how the ideas are related
Do the actual long-term results confirm the early feasibility studies, or do they show something different from what was originally predicted?
Match the general relationship, not the topic words
Think about whether the second idea is similar to, caused by, or different from the first, or whether it is just an example. Then choose the transition whose usual meaning matches that relationship.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the first statement
Focus on the meaning of the first sentence: “Initial feasibility studies suggested that installing rooftop solar panels in colder climates would yield only marginal economic benefits.” This means early studies predicted small or limited financial benefits from rooftop solar in cold places.
Understand the second statement
Now read the second part after the blank: “long-term data from several northern cities reveal that households with rooftop arrays have recouped installation costs several years sooner than analysts originally predicted.” This means that in reality, people made their money back faster than expected, so the benefits turned out to be better than the original studies suggested.
Decide the relationship between the two ideas
Compare the two statements:
- First: prediction of only marginal (small) benefits.
- Second: actual results show better-than-expected payback. These two ideas do not agree; the second sentence contradicts or reverses the expectation set in the first. So you need a transition that shows this kind of contrast between prediction and reality.
Match the relationship to the best transition
Now test each choice:
- “Similarly,” suggests the second idea is like the first.
- “Consequently,” suggests the second idea is a result of the first.
- “For instance,” introduces an example supporting the first idea.
- One choice signals a contrast between what was expected and what actually happened. Because the sentences contrast (expectation vs. better reality), the only option that fits is “Nevertheless,” so the correct answer is C) Nevertheless,.