Expression of Ideas · Reading & Writing
Transitions
A blank at the start of a sentence, filled with a transition word or phrase. You are naming the relationship between this sentence and the one before it.
46 questions in the bank · 10 easier · 26 medium · 10 harder · this domain is ≈20% of the section
What to watch for
Say the relationship out loud in your own words first — 'this contrasts', 'this is the next step', 'this is the result'. Then find the transition that means that. Order matters: 'next' and 'therefore' are not interchangeable.
How the question is worded
These are the actual stems used in the bank — the SAT reuses a small set of wordings, and recognising them saves time on test day.
- Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Worked examples
easyThe Seed Savers Exchange keeps hundreds of apple varieties alive on a single I…
The Seed Savers Exchange keeps hundreds of apple varieties alive on a single Iowa orchard, most of them long since dropped by commercial growers. Most commercial fruit is bred for shelf life and shipping durability. Heirloom orchard varieties, ______ are often selected for flavor alone, which is why so many bruise on the way to market.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A. as a result,
- B. for example,
- C. similarly,
- D. by contrast,
Answer: D. by contrast,
Explanation
The passage opposes two breeding goals — durability versus flavor — so the blank needs a contrast marker. Heirloom varieties are not an example or a result of commercial breeding, and "similarly" says the opposite of what the sentences do.
mediumThe Codex Sinaiticus went online in 2009 as a joint digitisation by four insti…
The Codex Sinaiticus went online in 2009 as a joint digitisation by four institutions holding its scattered leaves on three continents. Digitizing a fragile manuscript protects its contents from fire, flood, and simple decay. ______ scholars who study bindings, inks, and the feel of the paper itself still need occasional access to the physical object, which no scan can replace.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A. Accordingly,
- B. For example,
- C. Likewise,
- D. Even so,
Answer: D. Even so,
Explanation
The second sentence concedes a limit to digitization's benefits — a yes-but move. "Even so" acknowledges the first point while pivoting against it; the other choices wrongly extend, exemplify, or parallel it.
hardAgatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was argued over for years by rea…
Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was argued over for years by readers who felt cheated and readers who went back and found every clue in place. Argument about the novel's narrator has centred on the single large deception. Its cleverest misdirections, ______ are small: sentences that are true as written and false as read, and a habit of ending a paragraph a moment early.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
- A. for instance,
- B. moreover,
- C. accordingly,
- D. however,
Answer: D. however,
Explanation
The passage pivots from what critics praise (big deceptions) to what the author values (small ones) — a corrective contrast. "Moreover" is the trap: the second sentence doesn't add to the praise, it redirects it.