Question 85·Easy·Transitions
Sleep deprivation negatively affects concentration and memory. ______ it can also weaken the immune system, making people more susceptible to illness.
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: is it adding a similar point, giving an example, showing cause and effect, contrasting, or indicating time? Then classify each answer choice by the type of relationship it signals (addition, contrast, time, etc.) and choose the one that matches your understanding of the sentence connection. If the sentence already has clues like "also," "therefore," or "however," use those to confirm the relationship and quickly eliminate choices that imply the wrong connection.
Hints
Look at the meaning of the second sentence
Focus on the phrase "it can also weaken the immune system." Is this sentence giving an opposite idea, a replacement idea, something happening at the same time, or an additional similar idea?
Pay attention to the word "also"
The word "also" already hints at the relationship between the two sentences. Think about what kind of transition naturally works with a sentence that already says "also."
Match each option to a relationship type
Ask yourself: Which choices suggest contrast, which suggest replacement, which suggest things happening at the same time, and which suggest adding another point? Eliminate choices whose relationship type does not match the way the two sentences relate.
Step-by-step Explanation
Understand the relationship between the two sentences
Read the sentences together:
- "Sleep deprivation negatively affects concentration and memory."
- "____ it can also weaken the immune system, making people more susceptible to illness."
Both sentences describe harmful effects of sleep deprivation. The second sentence is not opposing or replacing the first idea; it is adding another negative consequence.
Decide what kind of transition is needed
Ask: What is the author doing in the second sentence?
- The phrase "it can also weaken" shows the writer is adding another point, another effect of sleep deprivation.
- So the transition should show addition of a similar idea, not contrast, replacement, or mere simultaneity.
Test each answer choice against that relationship
Now check which transition signals adding another similar point:
- "Instead," suggests a replacement (this happens rather than that). That does not fit because both effects happen together.
- "Meanwhile," shows two things happening at the same time, usually different actions or situations, not an additional effect of the same thing.
- "In contrast," signals an opposite or contrasting idea, but both sentences describe harms, not opposites.
- Only one choice clearly introduces an additional related negative effect, which is the correct answer: "Furthermore,".