Question 32·Medium·Transitions
Researchers have long studied tardigrades for their ability to survive extreme conditions. _____ a recent experiment confirming that the creatures can withstand the vacuum of outer space has further heightened interest in their biology.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and decide, in your own words, how the second idea relates to the first: Is it a similar point, a contrast, a cause or result, or a specific detail/example? Then quickly label each option by its usual function (addition, contrast, cause/effect, example, concession) and eliminate any that don’t match the relationship you identified. Finally, plug the remaining option back into the sentence to check that the meaning is precise and the sentence reads smoothly.
Hints
Compare the two sentences
Before looking closely at the answer choices, think about how the second sentence relates to the first: is it supporting the idea, opposing it, or showing something unexpected about it?
Focus on the content after the blank
Look at the part after the blank: it talks about “a recent experiment” and the vacuum of outer space. Does this sound like a disagreement with the first sentence or more like a specific situation connected to it?
Classify the transitions by type
Think about what kind of connection each option usually shows: some show similarity/addition, some show contrast/difference, and some show a surprising twist. Match those types to how the two sentences actually relate.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
Read the two sentences together:
- First: Researchers study tardigrades because they can survive extreme conditions.
- Second: A recent experiment shows they can survive the vacuum of outer space, which makes people even more interested in them.
So the second sentence is clearly connected to the idea of “extreme conditions” and interest in tardigrades.
Decide how the ideas are related
Ask: What is the relationship between the two sentences?
- Is the second sentence opposing the first? (No, it supports it.)
- Is it surprising or going against what we’d expect from the first? (No, it fits perfectly.)
- Or is it giving a specific instance or detail that fits the general idea in the first sentence? (Yes: surviving outer space is one extreme condition, and the experiment illustrates why tardigrades are so interesting.)
So you want a transition that shows the second sentence is a specific supporting example of the first.
Match each answer choice to its logical function
Now connect each choice to the type of relationship it usually signals:
- Moreover, = adds another similar point or reason (“in addition”).
- For example, = introduces a specific instance that illustrates a general idea.
- In contrast, = shows an opposite or very different idea.
- Nevertheless, = shows a surprising contrast or exception (“even so”).
We’ve already decided the second sentence is not an opposite idea and not a surprising twist; it’s a specific instance that supports the first.
Choose the transition that fits the relationship
Eliminate choices that signal the wrong relationship:
- In contrast, and Nevertheless, both suggest some kind of contrast, which does not fit because the second sentence supports, not opposes, the first.
- Moreover, adds another general reason, but here the second sentence is not a separate new reason—it is a concrete illustration of the “extreme conditions” mentioned earlier.
The only choice that correctly introduces a specific supporting instance is B) For example, so that is the best transition.