Question 212·Medium·Transitions
Rooftop gardens can reduce building energy costs by insulating interiors from extreme temperatures. _____ they help mitigate urban heat islands by absorbing sunlight and providing shade.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For SAT transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and read the surrounding sentences to decide the relationship: addition (another point), contrast, cause-effect, example, or time. Put that relationship into simple words, then check each option’s usual meaning and eliminate any that don’t match. Be careful not to choose based on how “smooth” or familiar a word sounds—choose only the transition whose logical function fits the ideas before and after the blank.
Hints
Restate the two ideas in your own words
Ignore the blank and say each part in simple words. What is the first benefit of rooftop gardens? What is the second benefit?
Decide how the ideas are related
Ask yourself: Is the second benefit caused by the first, is it the opposite of the first, or is it just another separate good effect of rooftop gardens?
Think about what each transition usually shows
For each option, decide whether it usually shows cause/effect, contrast, or just something happening at the same time. Which type best fits the relationship you saw between the two benefits?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each clause is saying
First clause: "Rooftop gardens can reduce building energy costs by insulating interiors from extreme temperatures." This gives one benefit of rooftop gardens.
Second clause (without the transition): "they help mitigate urban heat islands by absorbing sunlight and providing shade." This gives another benefit of rooftop gardens.
So both clauses are positive effects of the same thing (rooftop gardens).
Identify the logical relationship
Ask: How does the second benefit relate to the first?
- Is one a result of the other?
- Is one opposite or contrasting with the other?
- Or is the second simply another, additional benefit of rooftop gardens?
Here, both are separate good effects. The second is not caused by the first, and it does not oppose or contrast with it; it just adds more information.
Match the relationship to the transition types
Now connect each answer choice to the kind of relationship it usually shows:
- A) "Consequently," usually means as a result.
- C) "Conversely," usually means in contrast / on the other hand.
- D) "Meanwhile," usually means at the same time or in a different, parallel situation.
We need a word that smoothly adds another benefit to the first sentence.
Choose the transition that adds another benefit
Since the second clause gives an additional benefit of rooftop gardens, the transition should signal addition. Among the choices, only "Additionally," clearly introduces another, extra point in the same direction, so B) Additionally, is correct.