Question 38·Medium·Transitions
Researchers have long assumed that migratory birds navigate solely by sight, relying on recognizable landmarks. _____ recent experiments show that the animals adjust their routes when exposed to altered magnetic fields, indicating that they also sense the Earth’s magnetism.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read at least one full sentence before and after the blank, then briefly label the relationship between them in your own words (for example: supports, contrasts, cause→effect, restates, example). Next, think about what each transition option normally does and eliminate any whose function doesn’t match your labeled relationship. Avoid choosing an option just because it “sounds good”; it must clearly fit the logic connecting the two ideas.
Hints
Compare the two ideas
Ask yourself: Does the information about recent experiments agree with the idea that birds navigate solely by sight, or does it challenge or complicate that idea?
Classify the connection
Decide what kind of relationship connects the sentences: Are they giving similar information, showing a cause and its effect, rephrasing the same point, or presenting a different or conflicting point?
Match meanings, not sound
Think about what each transition word usually does in writing (adds a similar point, shows a result, restates, or contrasts) and eliminate any that don’t match the relationship you identified between the two sentences.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what the first sentence is saying
Read the first sentence: researchers have long assumed that migratory birds navigate solely by sight, using recognizable landmarks. The key idea is an old belief that birds rely only on vision.
Understand what the second sentence adds
The second sentence says that recent experiments show birds adjust their routes when exposed to altered magnetic fields, which means they also sense the Earth’s magnetism. This is new evidence that adds a different navigation method beyond just sight.
Determine the relationship between the two sentences
Compare the ideas:
- First: birds navigate only by sight.
- Second: experiments show birds also sense magnetism. This new evidence challenges or qualifies the old assumption; it does not simply repeat it, support it, or result from it.
Match the relationship to the correct transition
Now check what each option usually signals:
- “Similarly,” = adding a similar or supporting idea.
- “Consequently,” = showing a result or effect.
- “In other words,” = restating the same idea in a different way.
- “However,” = showing a difference or contrast between ideas. Because the second sentence introduces evidence that conflicts with the idea that birds navigate solely by sight, the transition that best fits is “However,”, which marks this contrast.