A high-frequency Reading and Writing type (10.2% of the bank) and one of the most mechanical. Covers naming the relationship between two sentences before reading any choice, the six relationships that cover nearly every question, grouping transition words by the relationship each signals, and why reading the choices first makes every one of them seem plausible — with six worked examples, four traps and three checks.
Subject: SAT Prep · 61 slides · applied lesson
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Title
SAT Reading & Writing · Type 6 of 10
10.2% of the question bank — 173 of 1688 questions
Objectives
A blank at the start of a sentence, and four connecting words. The question is entirely about the relationship between the sentence before the blank and the sentence after it. Name that relationship in one word and the answer follows; read the choices first and all four will seem to work.
One habit carries the type: cover the choices, say the relationship out loud, then match.
Naruhodo Tutoring — SAT Reading and Writing question bank export (sat-english-question-index.json) — 173 tagged questions of this type in the site's bank
Section
Section 1
Concept
A blank at the start of a sentence, and four connecting words. The question is entirely about the relationship between the sentence before the blank and the sentence after it. Name that relationship in one word and the answer follows; read the choices first and all four will seem to work.
You will see it phrased in these ways:
The sentences on either side of the blank are usually both complete, which is what distinguishes this type from Boundaries — there the choices vary the punctuation, here they vary the word.
Picture it
The same three-panel card as the survey deck, so the shorthand carries over: what identifies it, what you write first, and what is built to catch you.
Figure (svg): Transitions: the tell, the move, and the trap
Six relationships, and naming one takes about three seconds. That is the entire method, and everything else in this deck is the vocabulary that goes with each.
Prediction
Not which word sounds best.
Predict first
What determines which transition belongs in the blank?
Correct: The logical relationship between the sentence before and the sentence after
Why: A transition names a relationship — contrast, cause, example, addition, sequence, concession — and the correct one is whichever names the relationship that actually holds between the two sentences. Formality and frequency are irrelevant, and reading smoothly is the least reliable guide of all, because every transition reads smoothly in a slot once you have adjusted your reading of the sentences to accommodate it.
Concept
Three positions, one method.
| variant | where the blank sits | what changes |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence-initial | at the start, followed by a comma | the standard form, joining two sentences |
| Mid-sentence | between two clauses | the same relationship, expressed inside one sentence |
| Paragraph-initial | opening a new paragraph | the relationship spans more than one sentence |
The paragraph-initial version requires reading a little further back, since the relationship is with the whole preceding passage rather than with one sentence.
Definition probe
Six relationships cover nearly everything.
Sort into buckets
What is the relationship between the two sentences?
Discrimination
Each word belongs to exactly one relationship.
Sort into buckets
Which relationship does each word signal?
Warm-up
Do not look at the choices.
Discussion prompt
"Most desert plants survive drought by storing water in thick tissues. ______, the ocotillo takes a different approach: it drops its leaves entirely." What relationship does the blank need?
Hint: Read both sentences and say one word.
Answer:
Contrast. The first sentence describes what most desert plants do; the second says the ocotillo does something different.
The phrase a different approach is doing the work — it announces the relationship before you even reach the choices.
So the transition is a contrast word: however, in contrast, by contrast, on the other hand.
What would fail: therefore, which signals cause; for example, which would make the ocotillo an instance of water-storing when it is explicitly not; and similarly, which is the exact opposite of what is needed.
The relationship was named in three seconds and it eliminated three choices before any of them was read.
Pattern
Three steps, and the first is physical.
Cover the choices with your hand.
Why: Four transition words will each seem to fit if you audition them individually, because each one quietly reinterprets the sentences around it.
Read the sentence before and the sentence after, then say the relationship aloud in one word.
Why: Contrast, cause, example, addition, sequence, concession. One of these six covers nearly every question.
Uncover and choose the word from that relationship group.
Why: The SAT rarely offers two words from the same group, so naming the relationship usually leaves exactly one choice standing.
If two choices belong to the same group, the relationship is right and the shade needs deciding — but that is the minority of cases.
Section
Section 2
Concept
Almost every transition question is asking you to name one of six relationships.
| relationship | meaning | typical words |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | what follows cuts against what came before | however, in contrast, on the other hand, conversely |
| Cause and effect | what follows results from what came before | therefore, consequently, as a result, thus |
| Example | what follows illustrates what came before | for example, for instance, specifically |
| Addition | a further point in the same direction | moreover, furthermore, in addition, also |
| Sequence | what follows comes next in time or order | then, subsequently, finally, first |
| Concession | granting a point before qualifying it | admittedly, granted, of course, to be sure |
Learn this table and the type becomes lookup rather than reasoning. It is the whole deck in six rows.
Concept
Read the surrounding sentences with the options hidden, and name the relationship before seeing any word.
This is the same habit as Words in Context, applied to relationships instead of meanings — and it covers 24.5 per cent of the section between the two types.
Prediction
Three seconds, before any choice.
Predict first
"The alloy resists corrosion well. ______, it becomes brittle below freezing." What relationship does the blank need?
Correct: contrast
Why: The first sentence gives an advantage and the second gives a drawback, so the two cut against each other. The transition must be however, nevertheless or in contrast. Addition would be wrong because the second point does not extend the first — it undercuts it. Cause is wrong because corrosion resistance does not produce brittleness.
Concept
Words within the two sentences frequently name the relationship before the transition does.
Scan the two sentences for these signals before predicting. They frequently make the relationship unmissable.
Prediction
Same subject, or a different one?
Predict first
"Copper conducts heat efficiently. ______, silver conducts even better." Which transition?
Correct: similarly
Why: The second sentence is about a DIFFERENT metal behaving comparably, which is a parallel rather than an additional point about copper. Moreover would be right if the second sentence gave another property of copper. However would require the two to conflict, and they agree. Therefore would require the first to cause the second, which it does not.
Concept
Simple contrast opposes two things; concession grants a point before qualifying it.
If the sentence before the blank grants something the writer does not fully accept, the transition is likely concessive rather than a plain contrast.
Concept
Similarly draws a parallel between two comparable things; moreover adds a further point about the same thing.
Ask whether the second sentence is about the SAME subject or a DIFFERENT but comparable one. Same subject means moreover; different subject means similarly.
Prediction
A new case, or the same fact rephrased?
Predict first
"Attendance fell by half. ______, only 400 of the usual 800 visitors came." Which transition?
Correct: in other words
Why: The second sentence restates the first in concrete numbers rather than giving a new instance — half of 800 is 400, so no new information is added. For example would require a specific case drawn from a general claim, and there is only one event here. However would require conflict, and consequently would require the fall to cause the numbers rather than to be them.
Concept
An example gives a specific instance; a restatement says the same thing differently.
Ask whether the second sentence is a NEW fact or the same fact in different words. That settles the pair immediately.
Concept
A choice can fit the sentence after the blank and contradict the one before it.
Always read both sides before naming the relationship. A transition connects two things and cannot be chosen from one of them.
Prediction
The relationship belongs to the pair.
Predict first
"The vaccine trial was halted early. ______, the results were published in full." Which transition?
Correct: nevertheless
Why: Halting a trial early would normally prevent full publication, so publishing anyway cuts against expectation — which is what nevertheless expresses. Therefore would claim the halt caused the publication, which reverses the logic. For example would make publication an instance of halting. And similarly would require two comparable subjects, where there is only one.
Two truths and a lie
Three of these statements about transitions are correct. The one left standing is false.
Eliminate the wrong options
Which statement is FALSE?
Survives elimination: c
Why: Every transition reads smoothly in the slot, which is exactly why reading them first is so damaging. Trying however makes you look for a contrast and you will usually find one; trying therefore makes you look for a cause and you will find that too. Smoothness is not evidence, because the four choices were selected to be individually plausible. Only the relationship that actually holds between the two sentences decides.
Check
Cover the choices and read both sentences.
Check your understanding
"Rainfall in the region has declined steadily since 1990. ______, the reservoir has remained close to full." Which transition?
Answer: A
Why: Declining rainfall would normally empty a reservoir, and the reservoir has stayed full — so the second sentence happens despite the first. Nevertheless expresses exactly that contrast-against-expectation.
The word nevertheless is more precise than however here, because the surprise is built into the relationship — the reservoir stayed full DESPITE the decline.
Section
Section 3
Worked example
"Most alloys expand when heated. ______, this one contracts slightly." Name the relationship and choose.
Figure (svg): Two sentences with the contrast relationship named between them
Cover the choices and read both sentences.
Why: The relationship must be named before any word is seen.
The first describes the normal case, the second an exception. Name it: contrast.
Why: Expand and contract are opposites, which is unmissable once both sentences are read.
Choose a contrast word: however, in contrast, or by contrast.
Why: Any word from the contrast group would serve; the SAT will offer only one.
Testing one wrong relationship out loud is a fast confirmation. If the alternative produces an absurd claim, the named relationship is right.
Verify: test an alternative: therefore would claim that most alloys expanding causes this one to contract.
Why: That is plainly false, confirming the relationship is contrast rather than cause.
Answer: However, or another contrast word
Worked example
"The river was diverted in 1954. ______, the wetland downstream dried out within a decade." Name the relationship.
Figure (svg): Two sentences with the cause relationship named
Read both sentences with the choices covered.
Why: The habit applies regardless of how obvious the relationship seems.
Ask whether the first produced the second: diverting the river removed the water supply, so yes.
Why: Cause is the relationship, and the time sequence supports it.
Choose a cause word: consequently, therefore, as a result, thus.
Why: All four belong to the same group and any would serve.
Cause questions have a direction. Check that the sentence BEFORE the blank is the cause and the one after is the effect, rather than the reverse.
Verify: test the reverse: would the wetland drying cause the diversion? No — the diversion came first and the drying followed.
Why: Checking the direction confirms which sentence is the cause.
Answer: Consequently, or another cause word
Worked example
"Sea otters keep urchin populations in check. ______, wolves limit elk numbers in the same way." Which transition?
Figure (svg): Two sentences about different subjects behaving alike
Both sentences point the same way, so the relationship is not contrast.
Why: That eliminates half the vocabulary immediately.
Ask whether the subject is the same: otters in the first, wolves in the second. Different.
Why: This is the question that separates similarly from moreover.
Different subjects behaving comparably means similarly.
Why: Moreover would add another fact about the otters themselves.
The phrase in the same way is already announcing the parallel, which is the kind of internal signal worth scanning for before predicting.
Verify: test moreover: sea otters control urchins. Moreover, wolves limit elk. That reads oddly, as though wolves were another fact about otters.
Why: The oddness confirms that a parallel rather than an addition is needed.
Answer: Similarly
Step zero
Physically, before reading.
Discussion prompt
You reach a transition question. What is your first action, and what exactly goes wrong if you skip it?
Hint: The same first action as Words in Context.
Answer:
Cover the choices.
What goes wrong: each transition, tried in the slot, makes you reinterpret the two sentences to accommodate it.
Try however and you go looking for a contrast — and between almost any two sentences a contrast can be found. Try therefore and you find a causal link instead.
So all four begin to seem defensible, and you choose on impression rather than on the relationship that actually holds.
Covering them fixes the relationship first, and the choice becomes a lookup: which word belongs to that group?
Worked example
"______, the method is slower than the alternatives. But it is far more accurate, which is why it remains standard." Which transition?
Figure (svg): A concession granted before the writer's real point
Notice the structure: a drawback is stated, then but introduces the writer's real point.
Why: That pairing is the signature of a concession.
The writer is granting something they do not fully accept, before qualifying it.
Why: Concession is contrast with an admission attached.
Choose a concessive word: admittedly, granted, to be sure, of course.
Why: All four introduce a point the writer will immediately push back against.
Look for a but or however later in the passage. A concession is nearly always half of a pair, and the second half tells you the first was a concession.
Verify: check the second half: but it is far more accurate — the real point follows the but.
Why: A concession always sets up something the writer will counter, which the but confirms.
Answer: Admittedly
Worked example
"Several early computers filled entire rooms. ______, ENIAC occupied 167 square metres." Which transition?
Figure (svg): A general claim followed by one specific instance
The first sentence makes a general claim about several computers.
Why: General claims invite illustration.
The second names one specific machine with a specific figure.
Why: That is a case drawn from the general set, not a rephrasing of it.
So the relationship is example: for example, or for instance.
Why: In other words would require the second to restate the first without new information.
The test for example against restatement is whether the second sentence adds new specifics. If it does, it is an example.
Verify: check whether new information appears: ENIAC and 167 square metres were not in the first sentence.
Why: New specifics mean an example; no new information would mean a restatement.
Answer: For example
Faded example
From memory. Six categories cover nearly every question.
Fill in the blanks
However and nevertheless signal contrast. Therefore and consequently signal cause. For instance and specifically signal example. Moreover and furthermore signal addition. Then and subsequently signal sequence. And admittedly and granted signal concession.
Why: Learning the groups is the vocabulary half of the type. Within a group the words are largely interchangeable, so the SAT almost never offers two from the same group — which means naming the relationship usually leaves exactly one choice standing.
Worked example
"The expedition lost two of its three vehicles in the first week. ______, it reached the survey site on schedule." Which transition?
Figure (svg): Two sentences where the second defies what the first would predict
Read only the second sentence: reaching a site on schedule would fit almost any transition.
Why: This is why reading forwards alone fails — the second sentence underdetermines the relationship.
Read both: losing vehicles would normally cause delay, and the expedition arrived on time anyway.
Why: The pair establishes that the second defies what the first predicts.
So the relationship is contrast: nevertheless, or even so.
Why: Nevertheless carries the sense of despite that, which fits precisely.
Nevertheless and even so are the right words when the second sentence happens DESPITE the first, which is a contrast with an expectation built into it.
Verify: test therefore: losing vehicles therefore arriving on time is incoherent.
Why: The absurdity of the cause reading confirms the contrast.
Answer: Nevertheless
Fill the middle
The pairs that feel interchangeable and are not.
Fill in the blanks
Similarly compares two different subjects; moreover adds a point about the same subject. For example gives a new instance; in other words restates the same fact.
Why: These two pairs account for most of the questions where students name the relationship correctly and still choose wrongly. Both are settled by a single question: is the second sentence about the same subject, and does it add new information?
Estimation
Three seconds, and it eliminates most of the choices.
Predict first
"The compound is highly effective against the fungus. ______, it is toxic to bees." What relationship?
Correct: contrast
Why: The first sentence gives a benefit and the second gives a serious drawback, so the two cut against each other. Cause would claim that effectiveness against fungus produces toxicity to bees, which the passage does not assert. Example would make bee toxicity an instance of fungal effectiveness. Sequence would need a time relationship. Naming contrast eliminates three groups of vocabulary at once.
Check
Same subject, or a different one?
Check your understanding
"The northern colony fledged 40 chicks this season. ______, the southern colony produced 38." Which transition?
Answer: A
Why: The two sentences describe two DIFFERENT colonies producing comparable numbers, which is a parallel between separate subjects. That is what similarly expresses.
The deciding question was whether the subject changed. It did, so the relationship is a parallel rather than an addition.
Section
Section 4
Trap
The trap. You reach the blank and read the four transition words before reading the sentences.
Now you are asking does this one work, four times over, about four words each of which can be made to fit.
Worse, each word reshapes the sentences: try similarly and you start looking for a likeness, and between almost any two sentences one can be found.
The fix. Cover the choices, read both sentences, and name the relationship in one word.
Then the choice is a lookup rather than a judgement.
Trap
The trap. You read forwards from the blank, decide the sentence sounds like a consequence, and choose therefore.
But the sentence before the blank does not support a causal reading at all.
A single sentence underdetermines the relationship, because almost any sentence could follow almost any transition.
The fix. A transition connects two things, so both must be read before naming anything.
For a paragraph-initial blank, read back further still.
Error analysis
A student's reasoning on a transition question. Both sentences were read.
Annotate
On: \( \text{Effective against fungus. ??? Toxic to bees.} \;\Rightarrow\; \text{chose: moreover} \)
Naming a relationship means naming a DIRECTION, not just a topic. Two facts about one subject can agree, conflict, cause each other or illustrate each other, and only the direction distinguishes them.
Trap
The trap. Two sentences both point the same way, so you choose moreover — and the answer was similarly.
Both words signal agreement rather than contrast, which is why they feel interchangeable.
They differ in what they connect: moreover adds a point about the SAME subject, similarly compares a DIFFERENT one.
The fix. Ask whether the second sentence is about the same subject or a different one.
Same subject means moreover; a different but comparable subject means similarly.
Elimination
"The manuscript was thought lost for two centuries. ______, a copy surfaced in a private library in 1987."
Eliminate the wrong options
Which transition? Three fail once the relationship is named.
Survives elimination: a
Why: Being thought lost and then being found are opposites, so the relationship is contrast and the transition is however. Each wrong choice names a different relationship — cause, example, addition — and all three were eliminated by naming contrast, before any of the words was weighed against the others.
Trap
The trap. Two sentences are causally linked, so you choose therefore — but the sentence before the blank is the EFFECT rather than the cause.
Therefore claims that what came before produced what follows.
If the order is reversed, the correct transition is because or since rather than therefore.
The fix. Check which sentence is the cause and which is the effect.
Therefore points forwards from cause to effect; because points backwards from effect to cause.
Counterexample
A belief that shapes how students answer.
Discussion prompt
A student says: I can tell which transition is right because the correct one reads smoothly. Give a counterexample.
Hint: Try two different transitions in the same slot.
Answer:
Counterexample: the compound is effective against fungus. ___ it is toxic to bees.
Try however: reads perfectly smoothly, and it is correct.
Now try moreover: the compound is effective against fungus. Moreover, it is toxic to bees. That also reads smoothly — it just means something different and wrong.
And try for example: it reads acceptably too, though the logic is nonsense on inspection.
The mechanism: transitions are short and grammatically interchangeable, so all of them fit the SLOT. Smoothness tests grammar, not logic.
The corrected method: name the relationship from the sentences, then choose the word that names it. Smoothness cannot discriminate because every choice has it.
Edge cases
Six relationships cover nearly everything. What about the rest?
Discussion prompt
When do two choices belong to the same relationship group, and what decides between them?
Hint: The distinctions are about subject and about strength.
Answer:
The SAT rarely offers two words from the same group, so this is the minority case — but it happens.
Within contrast: however is neutral, nevertheless means despite that, and on the other hand introduces a genuinely balanced alternative. If the second sentence happens in spite of the first, nevertheless is the closer fit.
Within addition: moreover and furthermore are interchangeable, while similarly requires a different subject behaving comparably.
Within example: for example gives one case, while specifically narrows to detail about the same case.
The general tie-breaker: ask what the second sentence is doing to the first — opposing it, extending it, illustrating it, or granting it. The finer word names the finer action.
And if two remain genuinely equivalent, check whether one is about a different subject. That single question resolves most of the remaining ties.
Check
Does the second sentence add new specifics?
Check your understanding
"Only a fraction of the applications were successful. ______, 12 of the 400 submissions were approved." Which transition?
Answer: A
Why: The second sentence gives the precise figures behind the general claim in the first, moving from a vague statement to exact numbers. Specifically signals exactly that narrowing.
All three distractors are contrast words, which is unusual and instructive: naming the relationship as agreement eliminated all of them at once.
Section
Section 5
Matching
Six relationships, six word groups.
Match the pairs
Why: Six groups, and the SAT almost never offers two words from the same one. That is what makes naming the relationship sufficient: once you know the category, exactly one choice usually belongs to it.
Sorting
Name the relationship in each.
Sort into buckets
What relationship holds between the two sentences?
The same opening sentence appears in four of these pairs and takes four different relationships. That is why the relationship is a property of the PAIR and can never be read off one sentence.
Comparison
Fill the blanks from memory.
Comparison matrix
| pair | the first is used when | the second is used when |
|---|---|---|
| similarly / moreover | a different subject behaves comparably | a further point about the same subject |
| for example / in other words | a new specific instance is given | the same fact is restated differently |
| however / nevertheless | a plain contrast between two things | the second happens despite the first |
| therefore / because | the cause comes first, effect follows | the effect comes first, cause follows |
The bottom row is about direction rather than meaning. Both words express cause, and they point opposite ways — so the order of the two sentences decides which is correct.
Trade off
Fill the blanks from memory.
Comparison matrix
| read the choices first | name the relationship first | |
|---|---|---|
| What you ask | does this word work here? | what relationship holds? |
| How many times | four, once per choice | once, before looking |
| Why it fails or works | all four read smoothly, so it cannot discriminate | only one word names the relationship |
| The final task | judging four plausible words | a lookup in six categories |
The third row is the whole argument. Reading the choices first tests grammar, and all four choices pass that test — so the method produces no information at all.
Real world
One minute on what transitions actually do.
Discussion prompt
Why do transitions matter in real writing, beyond sounding polished?
Answer:
They tell the reader how to hold two ideas together before the second one is understood.
A reader arriving at however braces for a reversal; a reader arriving at therefore expects a conclusion. The word does work in advance.
Getting one wrong genuinely misleads. Writing moreover where you meant however tells the reader that your second point reinforces the first, and they will read it that way until forced to reinterpret.
This is why the SAT tests them as logic rather than as style. A transition is a claim about the relationship between two ideas, and a wrong claim is a wrong claim.
And it is why the skill transfers. Reading a difficult argument well means tracking exactly these relationships, which is the same thing the question is asking you to do.
Ranking
All four connect two conflicting sentences. Order from weakest contrast to strongest.
Put in order
Why: And yet is the mildest, joining while noting a tension. However is the neutral standard contrast. Nevertheless adds despite that, implying the second happens against expectation. On the contrary is strongest, asserting that the first statement is not merely qualified but wrong. The SAT rarely requires this level of discrimination, and knowing the gradient helps when two contrast words are both offered.
Concept
This type is 10.2 per cent of the section and is nearly mechanical once the habit is in place, which makes it one of the fastest to improve.
| session | what you do | why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Twenty questions with the choices physically covered until the relationship has been named aloud. | Builds the habit the whole type depends on. |
| 2 | Learn the six groups and their words, then sort forty transitions into them. | The vocabulary half, which turns naming into a lookup. |
| 3 | Fifteen questions focused on the confusable pairs: similarly and moreover, example and restatement. | Where students name the relationship correctly and still choose wrongly. |
| 4 | Mixed set under time, reading both sentences fully before predicting. | Prevents the read-forwards-only failure. |
Naruhodo Tutoring — SAT Reading and Writing question bank export (sat-english-question-index.json) — filter the bank to this skill tag — 173 questions, roughly a third of each difficulty
Explain it to yourself
Close the deck.
Discussion prompt
Without looking, name the six relationships and give two transition words for each.
Hint: Two of them are kinds of disagreement.
Answer:
Contrast: however, in contrast, on the other hand.
Cause and effect: therefore, consequently, as a result.
Example: for example, for instance, specifically.
Addition: moreover, furthermore, in addition.
Sequence: then, subsequently, finally.
Concession: admittedly, granted, to be sure — granting a point before qualifying it.
If you also distinguished similarly from moreover, you have the pair that separates a correct relationship from a correct answer.
Explain it
Two minutes, out loud.
Discussion prompt
A friend says every transition seems to fit, so they just pick the one that reads best. What is happening, and what do you tell them?
Answer:
Confirm their observation — every transition DOES seem to fit. That is not a failure of their reading; it is the design of the question.
Explain why. Transitions are short and grammatically interchangeable, so all four fit the slot. Trying each one tests grammar, and all four pass.
Show it. Take two sentences and read them with however, then with moreover, then with therefore. All three read smoothly and mean three different things.
Name what changes: the word does not fit the sentences; it tells you how to READ them. So auditioning words means reinterpreting the passage four times.
Then give the habit: cover the choices, read both sentences, and say the relationship in one word — contrast, cause, example, addition. Then the choice is a lookup.
Commit first
Commit before you check.
Predict first
"The soil in the valley is unusually poor. ______, farmers there have relied on imported fertiliser for decades." Which transition?
Correct: Consequently
Why: Poor soil is the reason farmers import fertiliser, so the first sentence causes the second and the transition points forward from cause to effect. Nevertheless would be right only if importing fertiliser were surprising given poor soil, which it is not — it is exactly what poor soil would predict. Checking the direction is what separates this from a contrast reading.
Connect it up
Blank paper.
Draw it
Draw two boxes stacked vertically, labelled the sentence before and the sentence after, with an arrow between them and a large question mark on the arrow. Beside the arrow write the six relationships: contrast, cause, example, addition, sequence, concession. Under each, list two or three transition words. To one side, draw a hand covering four choice boxes with the instruction: name the relationship before uncovering. In a corner, write the three confusable pairs with their deciding questions: similarly or moreover, is the subject the same? For example or in other words, is there new information? Therefore or because, which sentence is the cause?
Exit ticket
One question before you close the deck.
Predict first
You try all four transitions in the slot and every one reads acceptably. What does that tell you?
Correct: Nothing — all four are designed to read acceptably
Why: Transitions are short and grammatically interchangeable, so every choice fits the slot smoothly. Auditioning them tests grammar, and all four pass that test — which is precisely why the method produces no information. The question is not flawed and only one answer is correct; what distinguishes them is the logical relationship between the two sentences, which has to be named before the choices are read.
Recap
One type, one habit: cover the choices and name the relationship.
| never do this | do this instead |
|---|---|
| Read the four transition words first | Cover them and name the relationship |
| Decide from the sentence after the blank alone | Read both sides before naming anything |
| Choose the word that reads most smoothly | All four do — choose by relationship |
| Use moreover for two different subjects | That is similarly — moreover is same-subject |
| Use for example when nothing new is added | That is a restatement: in other words |
| Use therefore when the effect comes first | Check which sentence is the cause |
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