Question 44·Medium·Transitions
Large wind turbines can produce enough electricity to power thousands of homes. ____ small rooftop solar panels generate only a fraction of that output, they offer distinct advantages: they can be installed on existing buildings, produce no noise, and require minimal maintenance.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first summarize the surrounding sentences in your own words to understand their relationship: are they showing cause and effect, contrast, addition, or an example? Next, mentally label each answer choice by its function (cause: because; result: therefore; contrast: however/although; example: for example). Eliminate any choices whose function does not match the relationship you identified, then plug the remaining option into the sentence to confirm that the meaning is clear and logical.
Hints
Restate the two ideas in simple terms
Put each sentence into your own words: what is said about large wind turbines, and what is said about small rooftop solar panels?
Identify the logical relationship
Ask yourself: Is the second sentence giving a cause, an effect, an example, or presenting a contrast to the first sentence?
Group the choices by function
Which options usually show a cause (reason), which show a result, and which introduce an example or contrast? Eliminate any that do not match the relationship you identified.
Check the full sentence with your best candidate
Plug your best-fitting transition into the blank and read the entire sentence out loud in your head. Does the meaning clearly and logically match what the author is trying to say about solar panels despite their lower output?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the ideas in both sentences
Paraphrase the sentences:
- First: Large wind turbines produce enough electricity to power thousands of homes (they have very high output).
- Second: Small rooftop solar panels produce much less electricity, but they have several advantages (easy installation, no noise, low maintenance).
The key relationship is: less output vs. still having important benefits.
Decide what kind of relationship needs to be shown
Ask yourself: Is the second sentence showing a cause, an effect, an example, or a contrast to the first?
Here, the writer is not saying that turbines cause something about solar panels, or that solar panels are an example of turbines. Instead, the writer is pointing out that even though solar panels produce less electricity, they are still valuable. That is a contrast or concession relationship.
Classify the answer choices by transition type
Identify what kind of connection each choice usually shows:
- "because" introduces a reason or cause.
- "therefore," introduces a result or consequence.
- "for example," introduces an example of what was just mentioned.
- One remaining choice is commonly used to show contrast between two ideas.
Only a contrast-type word will correctly connect "they generate only a fraction of that output" to "they offer distinct advantages."
Test each type against the sentence meaning
Mentally plug in each type:
- A cause word would say that their low output is the reason they have advantages, which is illogical.
- A result word would say that turbines producing a lot of electricity leads to solar panels producing less, which is not what the passage claims.
- An example word would treat small solar panels as an example of turbines' high output, but in fact they produce less, not more.
The only option that correctly shows contrast — that solar panels are useful even though they generate less electricity — is "although".