Question 82·Easy·Transitions
Many migratory birds travel thousands of miles to reach warmer wintering grounds. _____ the Arctic tern undertakes one of the longest migrations of any animal, flying from the Arctic to the Antarctic each year.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For transition questions, first ignore the answer choices and decide how the second sentence relates to the first (supporting example, contrast, cause/effect, sequence, time, etc.). Then group the choices by their function (contrast words, cause/effect words, example words, time/sequence words) and quickly eliminate any whose function doesn’t match the relationship you identified. Finally, plug the remaining option(s) into the sentence to check for both logical fit and smoothness in context.
Hints
Compare the ideas in the two sentences
Ask yourself: Does the second sentence agree with, oppose, explain, or illustrate the idea in the first sentence?
Focus on the subjects
Notice that the first sentence is about “many migratory birds,” and the second is about “the Arctic tern.” How does talking about this one bird relate back to the many birds in the first sentence?
Classify the relationship
Decide what kind of connection exists between the sentences: contrast, happening at the same time, cause/effect, or a more specific case of the same idea.
Use the meanings of the transition words
Think about what each option usually shows (opposition, time, cause/effect, or another kind of link) and eliminate any that don’t match the relationship you identified.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand what each sentence is saying
Paraphrase the two sentences:
- First sentence: Many migratory birds travel very long distances to get to warmer places for the winter.
- Second sentence: The Arctic tern is one bird that makes an especially long migration from the Arctic to the Antarctic every year. So the topic is long-distance migration by birds, and then a specific bird is mentioned.
Identify the relationship between the two sentences
Ask: How does the second sentence relate to the first?
- It does not disagree with the first sentence.
- It does not show a result or consequence of the first sentence.
- It focuses on one particular bird (the Arctic tern) after talking about many migratory birds. This means the second sentence is giving a specific case that fits the general idea in the first sentence.
Match the relationship to a type of transition
Now think in general terms: which kind of transition word would fit a move from a general statement to a specific case?
- A contrast word would show opposition.
- A time/"at the same time" word would show two things happening in parallel.
- A cause/effect word would show a result.
- Another type of word would introduce a specific instance that supports or illustrates the general statement. You want the last type of relationship here.
Test the answer choices and choose the best fit
Check each option against the relationship you found:
- Nevertheless suggests contrast or an unexpected opposite idea, but the second sentence supports the first, so this does not fit.
- Meanwhile suggests something happening at the same time as something else, but the second sentence is not about a separate, simultaneous event.
- Consequently shows a result, but the Arctic tern’s migration is not a result of the fact that many birds migrate; it’s just another description.
- For example introduces a specific illustration of the general idea, which is exactly what the Arctic tern sentence does. Therefore, the correct answer is D) For example.