Question 212·Easy·Transitions
Community organizer Daniela Alvarez outlined a three-phase plan for establishing a neighborhood garden. ______ volunteers would clean the vacant lot and remove debris. Then, they would build raised beds and install an irrigation system. Finally, the team would host planting workshops for local residents.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first decide the logical relationship between the sentences: addition, contrast, cause-and-effect, or sequence. Use context clues (like "Then" and "Finally") to see if the author is listing steps. Eliminate choices whose function (e.g., contrast, result) does not match that relationship, and pick the transition that clearly signals the correct relationship—in this case, the start of an ordered sequence.
Hints
Look at the whole sequence
Pay attention to the words that introduce the second and third actions in the plan: how are "Then" and "Finally" being used?
Identify the relationship, not just the meaning
Ask yourself: Is the first sentence adding more information, showing a contrast, showing a result, or starting a sequence of steps?
Match transition types to relationships
Think about what kinds of transitions signal addition, contrast/alternative, cause-and-effect, and order/sequence. Which category fits a three-phase plan?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the context of the paragraph
Read the full text and notice that Daniela outlined a three-phase plan for the neighborhood garden. The sentences describe actions in order: cleaning the lot, then building raised beds and irrigation, and finally hosting workshops.
Identify the relationship between the sentences
The blank comes before the description of volunteers cleaning the lot. The next sentences begin with "Then" and "Finally," which clearly show steps in a sequence. So the missing transition should also signal that this is a step in an ordered process—specifically, the first step.
Match each transition type to the relationship
Check what each option usually shows:
- "Moreover," adds another similar point.
- "Instead," shows contrast or an alternative.
- "Therefore," shows a result or conclusion. None of these indicate the beginning of a sequence of steps, which is what the sentence needs.
Choose the transition that signals the first step
Because the sentence introduces the initial phase of a three-phase plan and is followed by "Then" and "Finally," the most logical transition is "First,", which clearly marks the beginning of the sequence.