Question 188·Medium·Transitions
Scientists once estimated that passenger pigeons numbered in the billions, filling North American skies for hours at a time. _____ internal disagreements about hunting regulations postponed any conservation efforts, accelerating the bird's decline to extinction by 1914.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For SAT transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and decide how the ideas in the sentences relate: addition, contrast, cause/effect, or example. Look for clues like a change in tone (positive to negative), a surprising result, or a clear cause leading to an effect. Then eliminate any options whose typical meaning (such as similarity, example, or result) does not match that relationship, and choose the transition that best fits the logic, not just what “sounds good.”
Hints
Focus on the relationship
Think about how the second sentence (about disagreements and failed conservation) relates to the first sentence (about billions of birds filling the sky). Is the tone and meaning similar or different?
Check for contrast vs cause
Does it make sense that disagreements about hunting regulations happened because there were billions of birds, or is it more that this disagreement is an unexpected problem despite their huge numbers?
Match meanings of transitions
Recall what each option usually shows: similarity, cause/effect, example, or contrast. Then choose the one that fits the relationship you identified.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
First sentence: Passenger pigeons once numbered in the billions and filled the sky for hours. This sounds impressive and positive.
Second sentence: Internal disagreements about hunting regulations delayed conservation efforts, which sped up the pigeons’ decline to extinction. This is negative and explains a problem.
So the passage moves from a situation of abundance to an explanation of how they still declined and went extinct.
Identify the logical relationship between the sentences
Ask: Is the second idea
- similar to the first?
- a result of the first?
- an example of the first?
- or in contrast to the first?
Here, it’s surprising that birds so numerous still went extinct because people could not agree on hunting rules. That contrast between huge numbers and failed conservation leading to extinction is key.
Match each option to its typical use
Now match each transition type to the relationship you found:
- "Similarly," is used when the second idea is like the first.
- "Consequently," is used when the second idea is a result or effect of the first.
- "For example," is used when the second idea illustrates or gives an instance of the first.
- "However," is used when the second idea contrasts with or goes against the expectation set by the first.
Since the passage contrasts the birds’ past abundance with the later failure to protect them, the only transition that correctly signals that contrast is "However,".