Under the Articles of Confederation, amendments required approval by every state legislature. In 1781 and again in 1783, Congress proposed giving itself limited authority to collect import duties; although substantial majorities of states assented, each proposal fell short of unanimity. These defeats demonstrate a serious limit on the Confederation government's ability to raise revenue. ______ treating the proposals' formal failure as the full significance of the votes can obscure a separate conclusion: support for expanding national fiscal power had become widespread before the Constitutional Convention, even though the existing amendment rule prevented that support from producing institutional change.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
For a challenging transition question, determine not only the broad relationship but also its precise form. In particular, distinguish a qualification, which preserves the preceding claim while limiting its emphasis, from a direct contradiction, a specification, or a cause-and-effect relationship.
Hints
Track what remains valid
Determine whether the final sentence rejects the claim about institutional weakness or accepts that claim while adding a different perspective.
Distinguish related relationships
Consider whether the final sentence gives a more specific version of the preceding claim, directly contradicts it, presents a result, or qualifies its emphasis.
Step-by-step Explanation
Identify the preceding claim
The text states that the proposals' defeats demonstrate a serious limit on the Confederation government's ability to raise revenue.
Analyze the final sentence
The final sentence does not reject that conclusion. Instead, it explains that concentrating on the proposals' failure can obscure a separate implication of the votes: substantial support for greater national fiscal authority already existed.
Distinguish qualification from contradiction
The needed transition must acknowledge the preceding point while introducing a consideration that complicates it. “Nevertheless” expresses that concessive relationship without suggesting that the earlier claim is false.