Question 175·Easy·Transitions
In 2006, astronomers discovered several objects in the Kuiper Belt that were comparable in size to Pluto. ______ the International Astronomical Union voted to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet rather than a full planet.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, read the sentences before and after the blank, then identify the relationship: cause-and-effect, contrast, comparison, or sequence. Match each answer choice to a relationship type and eliminate those that do not fit. Finally, plug your answer back into the sentence to confirm it reads logically.
Hints
Identify what each sentence is doing
Ask yourself: Does the first sentence present a cause, a comparison, a contrast, or just background information?
Determine the relationship
How does the second sentence relate to the first? Is it a result, a similar example, an opposite idea, or something that happened later?
Match transitions to relationship types
"Consequently" signals a result, "Eventually" signals time passing, "Suddenly" signals abruptness, and "Similarly" signals comparison. Which fits?
Step-by-step Explanation
Read and understand both sentences
First sentence: Astronomers discovered Kuiper Belt objects comparable in size to Pluto.
Second sentence: The IAU voted to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet.
The discovery prompted the reclassification—this is a cause-and-effect relationship.
Identify which transition signals cause-and-effect
Review each option:
- "Suddenly" = abrupt timing
- "Eventually" = after time passes
- "Consequently" = as a result of
- "Similarly" = in the same way
Only "Consequently" signals that the second sentence is a result of the first.
Eliminate incorrect options
"Suddenly" is wrong because nothing indicates the change was abrupt. "Eventually" is wrong because the focus is on causation, not the passage of time. "Similarly" is wrong because the second sentence is not a comparable example—it is an outcome.
Confirm your answer
Plug "Consequently" into the blank: "In 2006, astronomers discovered several objects in the Kuiper Belt that were comparable in size to Pluto. Consequently, the International Astronomical Union voted to reclassify Pluto as a dwarf planet."
The sentence flows logically—the discovery led to the reclassification.