Question 60·Hard·Transitions
Urban planners often assume that adding bike lanes will primarily benefit affluent commuters who already cycle regularly. ______ a study of Chicago's South Side showed that installing protected lanes led to the largest increases in ridership among low-income residents who previously relied on buses.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, always read the sentence (or pair of sentences) without the transition first and decide the logical relationship between the ideas: contrast, cause/effect, similarity, or simple addition. Briefly label that relationship in your head (e.g., “contrast” or “cause”) before you even look at the choices; then eliminate any options whose meanings don’t match that relationship, being careful not to pick a word just because it “sounds good” without clearly fitting the logic.
Hints
Compare the assumption and the study result
Focus on what urban planners assume in the first sentence and what the study actually found in the second. Are those two ideas the same or different?
Decide if the study supports or challenges the assumption
Ask yourself: Does the study back up what the planners expected, or does it show something surprising or opposite of what they thought?
Match the relationship to a transition type
Once you know whether the ideas are in agreement, opposition, or cause-and-effect, pick a transition that fits that relationship: cause/effect, similarity, addition, or contrast.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the two ideas being connected
Read the full sentence with the blank:
"Urban planners often assume that adding bike lanes will primarily benefit affluent commuters who already cycle regularly. ______ a study of Chicago's South Side showed that installing protected lanes led to the largest increases in ridership among low-income residents who previously relied on buses."
Paraphrase each part:
- First idea: Planners assume bike lanes mostly help affluent people who already bike.
- Second idea: A study found the biggest gains were actually among low-income residents who used to take buses.
Decide how the second idea relates to the first
Ask: Does the study confirm, explain, or contradict the planners’ assumption?
Here, the planners expect affluent cyclists to benefit most, but the study shows low-income bus riders benefited most. That means the study’s finding goes against the assumption, so the relationship is one of contrast or unexpected result, not support or simple addition.
Classify the answer choices by type of transition
Now think about what type of transition each option represents, without picking yet:
- One option shows cause and effect ("as a result").
- One option shows similarity ("in the same way").
- One option shows addition ("also / furthermore").
- One option shows contrast / unexpected result ("however / even so").
You have already decided the ideas contrast, so you need the option that signals contrast, not cause, similarity, or addition.
Match the needed relationship to the specific word
Because the study’s findings contradict the planners’ assumption, the sentence needs a transition that signals an unexpected contrast. Among the choices, “Nevertheless,” is the contrast word that fits this relationship, so the correct answer is B) Nevertheless,.