Question 26·Medium·Transitions
A century ago, the longleaf pine ecosystem stretched across millions of acres in the southeastern United States, supporting a diverse array of plants and animals. ______ conservationists and land managers are working to restore longleaf pine forests through controlled burns and strategic planting.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentence before and after the blank together and first decide the logical relationship—contrast, cause/effect, example, addition, similarity, or time shift—before looking at the options. Then match each choice to its typical function (e.g., "however" = contrast, "consequently" = result, "today"/"now" = time) and eliminate any option whose meaning does not fit that relationship, even if it sounds smooth by itself.
Hints
Look at time words in the passage
Notice the phrase "A century ago" at the beginning of the first sentence. How does that affect what kind of word should start the next sentence?
Decide the relationship between the two sentences
Ask yourself: Is the second sentence contradicting, resulting from, similar to, or simply updating in time the information from the first sentence?
Match each option to its function
Think about what each transition usually shows: contrast, cause/effect, similarity, or time. Then see which one best fits the relationship you identified.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is doing
Read both sentences together without the blank:
- First sentence: describes the longleaf pine ecosystem a century ago and how large and diverse it was.
- Second sentence: describes what conservationists and land managers are working to do (restore forests using certain methods).
The relationship is a shift from a past situation to what is happening now.
Identify the type of connection needed
Ask: How is the second sentence related to the first?
- It is not opposing the first idea (no disagreement or contrast in viewpoint).
- It is not clearly the result of the first sentence alone.
- It is not giving a similar example to another action.
- Instead, it moves from "a century ago" to actions in the present.
So we want a word that fits a time shift from past to present.
Match each option to its typical use
Now think about what each choice usually signals:
- "However," signals contrast or opposition.
- "Consequently," signals cause and effect (a result).
- "Similarly," signals a comparison, showing that two things are alike.
- One option signals present time, marking what is happening now.
Only the option that indicates present time will match the "a century ago" vs. now relationship.
Choose the transition that marks the time shift
Because the passage shifts from describing the ecosystem a century ago to what is happening in the present, the best transition is the time marker "Today,". It clearly shows that we are now talking about current efforts, so the correct answer is C) Today,.