Question 252·Hard·Transitions
Some dendrochronologists argue that ring width in high-latitude conifers chiefly records summer temperature. ______ studies of moisture-limited forests in the American Southwest show ring width there responds primarily to winter precipitation.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition? From anіko.аі
For transition questions, always read a bit before and after the blank, then briefly label the relationship between the ideas as one of a few types: result, example, similarity, contrast, or concession (unexpected contrast). Once you know the type, eliminate any choices whose meaning (for example, cause/effect or similarity) does not match that relationship, and then choose the remaining option whose nuance (plain contrast vs. unexpected contrast) best fits the sentence context.
Hints
Paraphrase each side of the blank
Restate in your own words what the first part (before the blank) says and what the second part (after the blank) says. Focus on what tree-ring width reflects in each region.
Identify the relationship between the ideas
Ask yourself: Does the second part show a result of the first, something similar to it, or something different from it?
Match transition types to the relationship
Think about which choices usually show cause/effect, which show similarity, and which show some kind of contrast. Then see which type fits the relationship you identified between the two clauses.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each clause is saying
Paraphrase the two parts of the sentence:
- First part: In high-latitude conifers, ring width mainly shows (records) summer temperature.
- Second part: In moisture-limited forests in the American Southwest, ring width mainly responds to winter precipitation. So the sentence is comparing what ring width reflects in two different kinds of forests/regions.
Decide the logical relationship between the two parts
Ask: Is the second part a result of the first, a similar example, or a different/contrasting example?
- It is not clearly caused by the first part.
- It does not show the same kind of response (summer temperature vs. winter precipitation).
- Instead, it presents a different pattern in a different region. So the relationship is a contrast between two findings.
Classify each transition option by type of relationship
Match each transition to its typical use:
- “consequently,” = result or effect (X happens, so Y happens).
- “likewise,” = similarity (in the same way, similarly).
- “by contrast,” = difference (on the other hand, in contrast).
- “nevertheless,” = unexpected contrast or concession (despite what was just said, still...). Only the options that show some form of contrast could work, because the two clauses describe different patterns.
Choose the transition that fits this specific contrast
Here, the author is not saying something surprising or contrary to an expectation; they are simply placing two different patterns side by side: one about summer temperature and one about winter precipitation. The transition that cleanly signals a straightforward difference between the two is “by contrast,”, so the correct answer is C) by contrast,.