Question 207·Hard·Transitions
Digital education platforms promise to democratize learning by removing geographic barriers and reducing costs. ______ their reliance on stable internet connectivity and personal devices can inadvertently deepen educational inequities in underserved regions.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read at least one full sentence before and after the blank, then briefly summarize each side in your own words as positive/negative, cause/effect, similar/contrast, or general/example. Decide what the logical relationship is before looking closely at the answer choices. Then match that relationship to the function of each transition (result, contrast, similarity, emphasis, etc.), eliminating any option whose typical meaning does not fit the connection between the ideas. This approach is fast and prevents you from choosing a word just because it “sounds good.”
Hints
Check the direction of the ideas
Compare the tone of the two parts: Is the second part supporting the first, giving a result, adding a similar example, or pointing out a problem with it?
Look at positive vs. negative
Is the first part mainly positive or negative in tone? What about the second part? Does the second part continue the same tone or move in the opposite direction?
Match meaning, not sound
Ignore which transition "sounds nice" and focus on what each one usually does: result, similarity, emphasis, or some kind of contrast/qualification. Which function matches the relationship between these two clauses?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each part of the sentence is saying
Read the two parts of the sentence and summarize them in simple terms:
- First part: Digital education platforms promise to democratize learning by removing barriers and reducing costs (a positive idea).
- Second part: Their reliance on internet and devices can deepen educational inequities in underserved regions (a negative, problematic idea).
So the sentence moves from a positive promise to a potential negative consequence that goes against that promise.
Identify the logical relationship between the two ideas
Ask: How does the second idea relate to the first?
- Does it show a direct result of the first idea?
- Does it add a similar point?
- Does it emphasize or restate the first idea?
- Or does it go against or qualify the first idea?
Here, the second part pushes back against the optimism of the first: even though platforms promise to help, they might actually make inequities worse. That is a contrast between expectation and reality.
Match each transition to its typical use
Now, think about what each option usually signals:
- Consequently, → shows a result or effect ("as a result").
- Likewise, → shows similarity ("in the same way").
- In fact, → adds emphasis or a strong supporting point.
- One option (the remaining one) is used to introduce information that contrasts with or qualifies what came before.
We need the option that introduces a contrasting idea, because the second clause goes against the positive promise in the first clause.
Choose the transition that shows contrast
Only “Nevertheless,” is used to introduce information that contrasts with what was just said—"even so" or "in spite of that." This fits the shift from the hopeful promise to the unintended deepening of inequities.
So the correct answer is B) Nevertheless,.