Question 191·Medium·Transitions
City planners introduced wide bike lanes and planted shade trees along the main downtown avenues to create a more bicycle-friendly environment. ______ within a year, the number of cyclists commuting to work had nearly doubled.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read a bit before and after the blank and briefly state the relationship in your own words (for example: “this is a result,” “this is a contrast,” “this is an example”). Then classify each answer choice by the kind of relationship it signals and eliminate any that don’t match your description. Finally, plug in the remaining option to check that the sentence reads smoothly and preserves the intended logic.
Hints
Look at the big picture
Read the full sentence with the blank and ask: Is the second part contrasting with the first, giving an example, showing a result, or just happening at the same time?
Focus on the planners’ goal
The planners wanted to create a more bicycle-friendly environment. Think about whether the next part describes a result of that goal or something unrelated or opposite.
Classify each transition type
Think of each option as one of these types: contrast/alternative, same-time event, ignoring previous information, or result. Then see which type fits the sentence’s logic best.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the sentences are saying
First, restate the ideas in your own words:
- City planners changed the streets (added wide bike lanes and shade trees) to make the city more bicycle-friendly.
- Within a year, the number of cyclists commuting to work had nearly doubled.
The second part is clearly describing what happened after the planners made those changes.
Decide how the two ideas are related
Ask yourself: Is the second idea contrasting with the first, happening at the same time, ignoring the first, or resulting from the first?
Here, it sounds like because the city was made more bicycle-friendly, as a result more people started biking to work. That is a cause-and-effect relationship.
Match the relationship to the transition type
Now match that cause-and-effect relationship to the meaning of each option:
- A) “Instead,” suggests a contrast or alternative choice.
- B) “Meanwhile,” suggests something happening at the same time but not necessarily caused by the first.
- C) “Regardless,” suggests something happens even though the previous information might work against it.
- D) “Consequently,” signals a result or outcome.
The sentence needs a word that clearly shows result.
Choose the transition that shows result
Because the second clause is the result of the planners’ actions, the only option that correctly shows this cause-and-effect relationship is D) Consequently,.