Question 36·Hard·Transitions
Many cities have invested heavily in cycling infrastructure, believing that more bike lanes will automatically convince commuters to give up car travel. ______ evidence from several recent studies suggests that improved safety alone is not enough; ridership rises most in places that also impose fees on downtown parking and restrict car access to certain streets.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read a bit before and after the blank and first decide how the ideas relate: Do they agree, disagree, give an example, or show cause-and-effect or time order? Label that relationship in your own words, then quickly match it to the transition type (contrast, similarity, result, time, etc.). Eliminate any choices whose function does not match the relationship, even if they sound smooth, and only then pick from the remaining option(s).
Hints
Clarify what each sentence is saying
Restate the first part in your own words: what do cities believe about bike lanes? Then restate the part after the blank: what do the studies actually show?
Decide if the ideas agree or disagree
Ask yourself: does the evidence from recent studies support the cities’ belief, or does it challenge that belief?
Classify the relationship type
Based on your answer, is the connection between the sentences best described as similarity, cause-and-effect, contrast, or time/sequence?
Match the relationship to a transition type
Think about what kinds of transitions show similarity, what kinds show contrast, what kinds show cause/effect, and what kinds show time; then eliminate any options that don’t match the relationship you identified.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the first idea
Read the first sentence: cities believe that adding more bike lanes will automatically make commuters give up cars. This is an expectation that safety improvements (more bike lanes) are enough by themselves.
Understand the second idea
Now read after the blank: “evidence from several recent studies suggests that improved safety alone is not enough; ridership rises most in places that also impose fees on downtown parking and restrict car access.” This says that safety alone (bike lanes) is not enough and that extra measures are needed.
Identify the relationship between the two ideas
Compare the belief in the first sentence with the evidence in the second. The evidence disagrees with or pushes back against the original belief rather than supporting it. That means the logical relationship is contrast, not cause-and-effect, similarity, or time sequence.
Match the relationship to the best transition
Now test each option: “Consequently,” shows a result, “Similarly,” shows a parallel, and “In the meantime,” shows time order. None of those show contrast. Only “However,” clearly signals that the studies’ evidence goes against the cities’ original assumption, so “However,” is the correct choice.