Question 63·Hard·Transitions
Historians once believed that the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed abruptly around 1900 BCE. ______ archaeologists have uncovered layers of sediment indicating a gradual population shift toward smaller, rural settlements, evidence that points to a slow transformation rather than a sudden demise.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For SAT transition questions, always read at least one full sentence before and after the blank, then first ignore the answer choices and decide the relationship in your own words: are the ideas similar, contrasting, or cause-and-effect? Once you’ve labeled the relationship, eliminate any options that don’t match that type (for example, cross out cause-and-effect words if there’s no cause-and-effect). Finally, plug in the remaining choice(s) to check which one makes the logical connection clearest, and avoid picking transitions just because they “sound good” without matching the meaning.
Hints
Check the meaning before and after the blank
Read the part before the blank and the part after it. Ask yourself: What did people think before, and what do we know now?
Decide if the ideas agree or disagree
Does the new archaeological evidence support the idea of an abrupt collapse, explain it, or argue against it? This tells you what kind of transition you need.
Group the answer choices by type
Sort the choices into those that show cause-and-effect and those that show similarity or difference. Then see which type fits the relationship you found between the two parts of the sentence.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each part of the sentence is saying
Read the sentence around the blank:
- First part: Historians once believed that the Indus Valley Civilization collapsed abruptly around 1900 BCE.
- Second part: Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a gradual population shift and a slow transformation.
So, the first part talks about an older belief (sudden collapse), and the second part describes new evidence (slow change).
Decide how the two ideas are related
Ask: Does the new archaeological evidence support the old belief, explain it, or contradict it?
- The old belief: collapsed abruptly.
- The new evidence: gradual population shift, slow transformation rather than a sudden demise.
The new evidence goes against, or challenges, the idea of an abrupt collapse. This means the logical relationship is a contrast between old belief and new findings.
Match the relationship to the type of transition
Now think about what each kind of transition does:
- Some transitions show cause-and-effect (one thing happens because of another).
- Some show similarity (two things are alike or in agreement).
- Some show contrast (two ideas are different or opposing).
Since the archaeologists' findings challenge the earlier belief, the sentence needs a transition that shows contrast between the two ideas.
Test the options and choose the best transition
Check each option against the relationship you identified:
- Consequently, and As a result, both show cause-and-effect.
- Similarly, shows that two ideas are alike.
- Only one option introduces a clear contrast between what historians once believed and what archaeologists have now found.
The transition that correctly shows this contrast is However,.