Question 201·Hard·Transitions
Historians once assumed that the Viking presence in North America was brief and inconsequential. Recent archaeological excavations at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland reveal evidence of metalworking and sustained habitation, suggesting a more significant settlement. ______ some scholars are reevaluating Norse sagas as potential sources of historical data rather than mere legends.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the choices and decide in your own words how the second idea relates to the first: Is it a cause, effect, contrast, example, or something happening at the same time? Then classify each answer choice by its relationship type (e.g., “as a result” = effect, “however” = contrast, “for example” = illustration) and pick the one that matches your understanding of the sentence logic. Always read the sentence with your chosen transition to confirm it clearly and smoothly reflects that relationship without forcing the meaning.
Hints
Identify what changed
Focus on how the second sentence (about excavations) changes or affects what historians once assumed. What is different now compared to before?
Look at cause and effect
Ask yourself: does the scholars’ reevaluation happen for no reason, or is it happening because of the new archaeological evidence?
Match each option to a relationship type
Decide what kind of relationship each answer shows: time, contrast, cause/effect, or similarity. Then choose the one that matches the relationship between the discoveries and the scholars’ reevaluation.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the relationship between the ideas
Read the sentences around the blank and ask: how does the second idea relate to the first?
- First idea: Historians used to assume the Viking presence was brief and unimportant.
- New information: Excavations show metalworking and sustained habitation, suggesting a more important settlement.
- Last idea: Scholars are reevaluating Norse sagas as historical data.
So: new evidence has appeared, and because of that, scholars are changing how they interpret the sagas.
Classify the type of transition needed
The second sentence gives evidence that challenges the old assumption, and then says scholars are changing their viewpoint. This is a cause-and-effect relationship:
- Cause: Discoveries at L'Anse aux Meadows show more significant Viking activity.
- Effect: Scholars are reevaluating the sagas.
So the blank should be filled with a word or phrase that shows that the second action (reevaluating) happens because of the new evidence.
Evaluate each answer choice by meaning
Now match each option to the relationship we identified:
- “Meanwhile,” signals events happening at the same time.
- “In contrast,” signals an opposite or contrasting idea.
- “As a result,” signals an effect or consequence of what came before.
- “Similarly,” signals that the next idea is like the previous one.
We need a phrase that shows the scholars’ reevaluation is a consequence of the archaeological discoveries, so the best choice is “As a result,”.