Transitions Test- 2 - SAT MCQ

Choice A. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn't make sense here. The old theory about when humans first arrived didn't cause the research team's findings.

Choice B. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of an agreeing idea. But this sentence actually disagrees with the previous sentence: the research findings described in this sentence conflict with the longstanding theory described in the first sentence.

Choice C. This is the best choice. The previous sentence describes a longstanding theory, and this sentence describes recent findings that disagree with that theory, so the transition "however" fits perfectly.

Choice D. This choice uses a concluding transition. But this sentence actually disagrees with the previous sentence, so "in conclusion" doesn't make sense.

Choice A. This is the best choice. This sentence compares two examples of Posey's tone: the "heartfelt language" he used in his poetry versus the "humor and satire" he used in his journalism. We know from these descriptions and from the claim in the previous sentence that the two tones are very different from each other. So the transition "By contrast" fits the context perfectly.

Choice B. This choice uses a transition that means 'admittedly'. But the text isn't admitting or conceding anything here. Instead, these two examples work together to support the claim made in the first sentence.

Choice C. This choice uses a transition that indicates a restatement of the same idea in other words. But the text isn't restating the first example here. Instead, it's offering a second, totally different example.

Choice D. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of an agreeing idea. But these two examples are intentionally very different from each other, so "similarly" doesn't make sense here.

Choice A. This choice uses a transition that indicates another option or possibility, which doesn't make sense here. Rather, the viewer has both experiences: first the viewer imagines that they're looking at another planet, and then the title reminds them that it's just a frying pan.

Choice B. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn't make sense here. The viewer imagining other planets when they're looking at the photos doesn't cause the title to bring them back to reality.

Choice C. This is the best choice. The first sentence describes an experience that the viewer has when they're looking at the photos: they imagine other planets. This sentence describes an experience that the viewer has afterward: the title reminds them that the photos are of frying pans, bringing them back to reality. "Ultimately" is a transition that means "eventually" or "in the end", so it fits the context perfectly.

Choice D. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of an agreeing idea. But the viewer's experience in the second sentence is actually the opposite of the viewer's experience in the first sentence. In the first sentence, the viewer is imagining that they're seeing a landscape from another planet. In the second sentence, the viewer is reminded that they're looking at a frying pan.

Choice A. This choice uses a transition that indicates a restatement of the same idea, which doesn't make sense here. This sentence doesn't restate the first example—it describes a totally different example.

Choice B. This choice uses a transition that indicates the addition of a similar idea, which doesn't make sense here. This sentence describes a second example that is very different from the first example.

Choice C. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn't make sense here. The first example didn't result in the second example.

Choice D. This is the best choice. The first sentence claims that the number of sunspots can vary greatly. To support this claim, the next two sentences compare two examples: one time when there were 180 sunspots and one time when there were only 2 sunspots. So the transition "by comparison" fits perfectly.

Choice A. This transition is used to emphasize the truth of a statement that modifies the previous statement. But this sentence diverges from the previous statement without modifying it: both are true statements of fact. So "in fact" wouldn't make sense here.

Choice B. This choice uses a transition that indicates a restatement of the same idea in different words. But this sentence doesn't restate the same idea as the previous sentence. Instead, it makes a new point about a different factor.

Choice C. This is the best choice. In this sentence, the author admits that a totally different factor was more important for sign language acquisition than the original factor the study was testing. "Granted" is a transition that means "admittedly", so it fits the context perfectly.

Choice D. This choice uses a cause-and-effect transition, which doesn't make sense here. The fact that there was a correlation between iconicity and acquisition didn't cause the fact that there was a stronger correlation between frequency and acquisition.