Study on the flySATReading and WritingTransitions
Reading and Writing
Transitions questions remove a connecting word or phrase and ask which choice completes the text with the most logical transition.
The options are words such as however, therefore, similarly, for example and meanwhile, and they differ in the relationship they signal: contrast, result, addition, illustration or time. Reading the sentences on both sides of the blank is essential, since the answer depends on how those ideas relate, not on how a word sounds.
A sentence that gives a specific case of a general claim calls for for instance, while one that undercuts the claim calls for however.
Pick an answer to see whether it is right — nothing is saved, and nothing needs an account.
Question 1Easier
In an effort to protect fragile works on paper, the gallery now illuminates its drawings with light-emitting diodes that produce little heat. it used incandescent bulbs whose heat could accelerate the paper’s deterioration.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Answer: A — Previously,
The incandescent bulbs belonged to an earlier practice that the gallery has since replaced. “Previously,” marks that temporal relationship.
Question 2Mid
Ethnomusicologists comparing work songs from four coastal communities found that a simplified notation captured the beat performers emphasized most often. The notation did not record subtle shifts in timing that singers used to coordinate difficult movements, however, and so it could not reproduce a performance exactly. it remains useful for comparing the songs’ broad rhythmic structures across regions and historical periods.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Answer: C — Even so,
The final sentence concedes that the notation is still useful despite its inability to capture every timing shift. “Even so” signals this contrast between a limitation and a remaining benefit.
Question 3Easier
To determine whether a faded map was printed from the same plate as a securely dated map, a conservator first photographed both under raking light, revealing shallow impressions left by the press. She then aligned stable landmarks—coastlines and compass marks—across the photographs. the conservator examined the positions of tiny scratches, features unlikely to have been copied by hand.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Answer: B — Subsequently,
After photographing the maps and aligning the landmarks, the conservator next examined scratch positions. “Subsequently,” marks that next step in the procedure.
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Harder than the exam: SAT Reading and Writing Challenge · Reading and Writing: competition-style problems
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