Question 50·Medium·Transitions
Photographer Dorothea Lange documented the hardships of the Great Depression through powerful images of displaced farmworkers. ______, her photographs not only recorded suffering but also helped galvanize public support for New Deal relief programs.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentence before and after the blank without looking at the choices first, and label the relationship in your own words (e.g., addition, contrast, cause/effect, time). Then quickly classify each answer choice by the type of connection it signals and eliminate any that don’t match your labeled relationship. Be especially alert to contrast and cause-effect words, which are often tempting but wrong when the sentences are simply adding related information.
Hints
Focus on the relationship
Read the sentence before and after the blank together. Ask yourself: Is the second sentence disagreeing with, explaining, adding to, or showing a result of the first?
Use the structure of the second sentence
Notice the phrase "not only ... but also" in the second sentence. That structure already shows that the sentence is presenting two related positive points. How should the transition connect that kind of sentence to the first one?
Classify each option by type
Think about what each transition usually signals: one shows contrast, one shows events happening at the same time, one shows cause-and-effect, and one shows an additional point. Which type matches how the two sentences relate?
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
First sentence: Dorothea Lange documented the hardships of the Great Depression with powerful photos of displaced farmworkers.
Second sentence (after the blank): Her photographs not only recorded suffering but also helped galvanize public support for New Deal relief programs.
So the second sentence is explaining two effects or roles of her photos: they recorded suffering and helped build public support.
Identify the relationship between the two sentences
Ask how the second sentence relates to the first:
- The first explains what she documented.
- The second explains what those photographs accomplished (they recorded suffering and influenced public opinion).
The second sentence is adding more information about the importance and impact of her photographs, not reversing the idea, not giving a timeline, and not clearly stating a direct cause-and-effect from the first sentence.
Match the relationship to a transition type
Now think about what kind of transition fits an additional, supporting point:
- A contrast word (like "however") would suggest the second sentence goes against or qualifies the first.
- A time/at-the-same-time word (like "meanwhile") would suggest two things happening at once.
- A cause-and-effect word (like "consequently") would mean the second sentence is a clear result of the first.
- An addition/emphasis word links a new, related point that strengthens or extends the first idea.
Here, we want a transition that emphasizes and adds another important role of Lange’s photographs.
Choose the transition that shows addition/emphasis
Look at the answer choices:
- "However" = contrast
- "Meanwhile" = at the same time
- "Consequently" = as a result
- "Moreover" = in addition; what’s more
Because the second sentence is adding another significant effect of Lange’s photographs, the transition that best fits is C) Moreover.