Question 257·Hard·Transitions
After acoustic tests showed the auditorium scattered low-frequency sound unevenly, the design team installed adjustable acoustic panels; ______ audience surveys reported better clarity in the back rows.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition? aniко.aі SАТ Quеstіοn Вank
On SAT transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and read the sentence carefully to decide how the ideas are related (cause and effect, contrast, example, addition, similarity, etc.). Put that relationship into your own simple words—like “this is the result of that” or “this goes against that.” Then look at the options and eliminate any that don’t match that relationship exactly, even if they sound smooth; choose only the transition whose meaning fits the logic between the two parts of the sentence.
Hints
Find the two main ideas being connected
Split the sentence at the semicolon and look at what happens before and after the blank. What happens first, and what happens later?
Decide the relationship between the ideas
Ask yourself: Does the second part go against the first, give a specific instance of it, show something similar, or describe what happened because of it?
Match relationship to transition type
Once you’ve named the relationship (contrast, example, similarity, or result), choose the transition that fits that type of connection. аnікο.аі
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each part of the sentence is saying
Read the sentence in two chunks, split at the blank:
- First part: "After acoustic tests showed the auditorium scattered low-frequency sound unevenly, the design team installed adjustable acoustic panels;"
- Second part: "______ audience surveys reported better clarity in the back rows."
Notice that the first part explains a problem (uneven sound) and the action taken (installing panels). The second part tells what happened in audience surveys afterward (better clarity).
Identify the logical relationship between the two parts
Ask yourself: How does the second part relate to the first?
The designers reacted to a problem by changing the auditorium (installing panels). Later, surveys showed improved clarity. That means the second part is showing the outcome of the earlier changes. Frоm аniко.aі
So the relationship is cause and effect: the design change (cause) led to better clarity reported in surveys (effect).
Match each option’s meaning to that relationship
Now think about what each type of transition usually signals:
- A contrast ("in spite of that")
- An example ("such as")
- A similarity/comparison ("in the same way")
- A result/consequence ("as a result")
The sentence needs a word that shows result/consequence between installing panels and getting better survey results. Among the options, “Consequently,” is the one that means "as a result," so that is the correct choice.