Question 55·Easy·Transitions
Wind power is becoming increasingly affordable and efficient. ______ many coastal communities are investing in offshore wind farms to meet their energy needs.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and decide on the relationship between the sentences (addition, contrast, cause-and-effect, example, time, etc.) just by thinking in your own words. Then, look at each option and quickly match its typical use to the relationship you identified. Eliminate choices whose meanings don’t fit the logic of the sentences, and double-check by reading the sentence with your chosen transition to make sure it sounds natural and preserves the intended meaning.
Hints
Check how the second sentence relates to the first
Ask yourself: Is the second sentence opposing the first idea, adding on to it, giving an example, showing a result, or talking about time?
Focus on the words "becoming increasingly affordable and efficient"
Think about what would logically happen because wind power is getting cheaper and more effective. How would communities respond?
Match each transition to its usual use
Review what each transition generally signals: difference, example, result, or time. Then choose the one that best matches the relationship you see between the two sentences.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
Read the two parts of the text together:
- First: "Wind power is becoming increasingly affordable and efficient."
- Second: "____ many coastal communities are investing in offshore wind farms to meet their energy needs."
The first sentence describes a change in wind power (it’s cheaper and works better). The second sentence describes what communities are doing in response to that situation.
Identify the relationship between the ideas
Ask: How does the second sentence relate to the first?
Does it:
- Contrast with the first idea?
- Give an example of the first idea?
- Show a result of the first idea?
- Refer to something that happened earlier in time?
Here, communities investing in offshore wind farms is a logical result of wind power becoming more affordable and efficient.
Match the relationship to the transition meaning
Now match each option to the type of relationship it usually shows:
- "In contrast," = shows opposition or difference.
- "For example," = introduces a specific instance of a general idea.
- "Consequently," = shows a result or effect.
- "Earlier," = refers to a previous time.
We need a word that clearly signals that communities’ investments are a result of wind power becoming more affordable and efficient.
Choose the transition that fits cause-and-effect
Only "Consequently," clearly expresses that the investments by coastal communities are a result of wind power becoming increasingly affordable and efficient, so the correct answer is C) Consequently,.