Ensure the transition fits both the preceding and following context.
Core Idea
A transition must connect backward to what came before AND forward to what comes next. Checking only one side of the blank is the most common mistake.
Understanding
Many students read the sentence after the blank, pick a transition that sounds right with that sentence alone, and move on. But the transition is a bridge—it has to connect two sides.
Always do a two-direction check:
- Read the sentence(s) before the blank. What idea is being set up?
- Read the sentence after the blank. What idea is being delivered?
- Now ask: does my chosen transition accurately describe how these two ideas relate?
A transition can sound fine with the following sentence in isolation but completely misrepresent the relationship when you factor in the preceding context. This is how the SAT builds its trickiest traps.
When in doubt, try inserting your choice and reading the full passage aloud. If the logical flow breaks in either direction, that choice is wrong.
Worked Example
Political scientist Yuki Tanaka has documented that voter turnout in local elections has declined steadily over the past two decades. ______ Tanaka points out that turnout in presidential elections during the same period has remained relatively stable, suggesting that voter disengagement is not uniform across all types of elections.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Select an answer to see the explanation