Question 49·Easy·Transitions
First, volunteers clear weeds and debris from the community garden plot. ______ they add compost and till the soil to improve its fertility.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and read the surrounding sentences to decide the exact relationship between them: contrast, cause-and-effect, example, sequence, addition, or comparison. Once you’ve labeled the relationship in your own words, quickly eliminate any options whose meanings don’t match that relationship (for example, crossing out contrast words when there is no contrast). Choose the option whose meaning—not sound—best captures the logical connection you identified.
Hints
Focus on the actions
Look carefully at what happens in the first part (before the blank) and what happens in the second part (after the blank). Are these two things opposing each other, repeating each other, or moving a process forward?
Classify the relationship
Ask: Is the second sentence contrasting with the first, giving an example of the first, showing something similar to the first, or just describing the next step after the first?
Connect meanings to transition types
Remember: words like "nevertheless" usually show contrast, "similarly" shows comparison, and "for instance" introduces an example. Decide which kind of connection actually exists between clearing weeds and adding compost.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
Read the two parts together:
- First: volunteers clear weeds and debris from the garden plot.
- Second: they add compost and till the soil to improve its fertility.
Both parts describe actions in the same gardening task, happening in order.
Identify the relationship between the two actions
Ask yourself: How are these two actions connected?
They are not opposite ideas, and the second is not an example of the first. Instead, the second action logically follows the first as the next step in the process of preparing the garden.
Match that relationship to the answer choices
Now check each transition against the relationship you identified:
- "Nevertheless," is used for contrast or something unexpected, which does not fit here.
- "Similarly," is used to compare two things that are alike, but the second sentence is not a comparison; it is another step.
- "For instance," introduces an example of a general idea, but the first sentence is not a general statement.
- "Then," clearly shows that one action happens after another in sequence.
So the choice that completes the text with the most logical transition is D) Then,.