Question 204·Hard·Transitions
Biologist Paola Garcia initially hypothesized that urban noise would discourage the city’s songbirds from vocalizing at dawn. ______ her field recordings revealed that the birds not only sang but also did so at higher volumes and with greater frequency than their rural counterparts.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the full sentence or pair of sentences first, then pause and label the logical relationship between the ideas (contrast, cause/effect, addition, example, or similarity) in your own words. Next, quickly recall what each transition generally signals and eliminate choices whose function does not match your labeled relationship. If more than one seems possible, plug each remaining option back into the sentence to check which one makes the logical flow and tone most precise and natural.
Hints
Check the predicted outcome vs. the actual result
Ask yourself: In the first part of the sentence, what did Garcia expect would happen to the birds’ singing? In the second part, did that expectation come true or not?
Identify the type of relationship
Decide whether the second part of the sentence shows a cause/effect, a reinforcement of the first idea, a similarity, or a contrast to it.
Match meaning to transition types
Think about what each choice usually does in a sentence: Which suggests a result, which adds emphasis, which shows similarity, and which shows contrast? Choose the one that fits the relationship you found.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the first part of the sentence
Read the part before the blank: "Biologist Paola Garcia initially hypothesized that urban noise would discourage the city’s songbirds from vocalizing at dawn."
This means Garcia expected that urban noise would reduce or discourage bird singing.
Understand the second part of the sentence
Read the part after the blank: "her field recordings revealed that the birds not only sang but also did so at higher volumes and with greater frequency than their rural counterparts."
This shows what actually happened: instead of singing less, the urban birds sang more often and more loudly than rural birds.
Decide the logical relationship
Compare the hypothesis with the results:
- Hypothesis: noise would discourage singing (less singing).
- Result: birds sang more and louder (more singing).
The actual findings are the opposite of what was expected. So the relationship between the two parts is one of contrast, especially an unexpected or surprising contrast.
Match the relationship to the best transition
Now check what each option usually signals:
- "Consequently," = result or effect
- "Indeed," = emphasis or reinforcement
- "Yet," = contrast, often unexpected
- "Similarly," = comparison, things are alike
We need a word that shows the contrast between the hypothesis and the surprising results, so the best choice is "Yet,".