Question 199·Easy·Transitions
Woolly mammoths roamed North America until about 4,000 years ago. Researchers once believed that a sudden shift in climate caused their rapid decline. ______ newer studies suggest that human hunting played an equally important role.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentence before and after the blank and decide the type of relationship first (contrast, cause/effect, example, addition, etc.) before looking at the choices. Then quickly eliminate any transitions that don’t match that relationship, and double-check that the sentence reads smoothly and logically when you plug your chosen transition back into the text.
Hints
Look at the relationship, not just the blank
Read the full sentences before and after the blank. Ask yourself how the second sentence relates to the first: is it adding support, giving an example, showing a result, or pushing back against the earlier idea?
Focus on time words and attitude words
Notice the phrase "once believed" in the first sentence and "newer studies suggest" in the second. What does that shift from older beliefs to newer studies tell you about the relationship between the two ideas?
Test each transition with the logic
Mentally plug each option into the blank and ask: Does it make sense that what follows is an example, a result, something similar, or something that adjusts or challenges the previous belief?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the first sentence says
The first sentence states a past belief: researchers once believed that a sudden climate shift caused woolly mammoths’ rapid decline. This is presented as an older explanation.
Understand what the second sentence adds
The second sentence begins with a blank, then: "newer studies suggest that human hunting played an equally important role." This introduces newer research that provides another explanation (human hunting) that challenges or revises the old, climate-only explanation.
Decide the logical relationship between the two sentences
Ask: how does the newer information relate to the old belief?
- It does not give an example of climate change.
- It does not describe a result of that climate shift.
- It does not show something similar to the old belief; it changes and complicates it. So the relationship is a contrast or qualification of the original belief.
Match the relationship to the correct transition
Now check which choice shows that contrasting/qualifying relationship:
- "For instance," introduces an example.
- "As a result," introduces an effect.
- "Similarly," introduces a similar or parallel idea.
- "However," introduces a contrast with what came before. Only "However," correctly shows that the newer studies contrast with and revise the earlier belief, so D) However, is the best answer.