Transitions | Reading and Writing for Digital SAT PDF Download

How should we think about transitions?

Transitions are the glue that holds ideas together. They connect sentences in ways that tell the reader how those sentences are related. Is there an argument being made? A story being told? The transitions used in the text should reflect that relationship.

The relationships between ideas usually fall into the following categories:

• Do the sentences express the same underlying idea? If so, we may want to use an agreement transition like "similarly". 
• Do the sentences identify a disagreement or contrast? If so, we may want to use a disagreement transition like "however". 

3. Addition and exemplification

• Does the second sentence elaborate on the first? If so, we may want to use an addition transition like "furthermore". 
• Does the second sentence provide an example? If so, we may want to use an exemplification transition like "for instance". 

4. Cause and effect
Is the second sentence caused by or a consequence of the idea in the first sentence? If so, we may want to use a cause and effect transition like "therefore". 

How to approach transitions questions

Transitions questions ask you to select the "most logical transition". However, these questions are actually as much about how well you understand the text as they are about the transitions themselves. So be sure to read carefully!
To answer a transitions question, follow these three steps:

Step 1: Summarize the text in your own words

• Don't just skim the passage . Read it closely, and try to summarize the main idea in your own words. This can be tricky since an important transition word is missing. If you're struggling to understand the text, try to translate each sentence into a simple bullet point.

Step 2: Identify the relationship between the passage’s ideas

• The transition we're asked to select will connect two ideas from the passage. How are those ideas related? Do they disagree? Does one cause the other? We should be able to place the relationship into one of the four categories discussed above.

Step 3: Select the transition that matches the relationship

• Only one of the choices will offer a transition that matches the relationship we identified. We can select it with confidence!
• If you find yourself stuck between two choices, try plugging them each into the blank. Which transition creates the clearest meaning when placed in context?

Top tips

1. Be flexible: There is an enormous variety of transition words and phrases, and the exact transition you expect to see might not be offered in the choices. If you think the sentence needs a disagreement word, but "however" isn't an option, look for a transition with a similar function (like "on the other hand").
2. Eliminate copycats: If two choices seem to function in a similar or interchangeable way (like "also" and "in addition"), you can safely eliminate them both. They can’t both be right, so they must both be wrong!