Question ID a56a50e6

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: a56a50e6
Historically, most conductors of major orchestras and opera companies have been European men, but a new,
more diverse generation of artists is stepping up to the podium. Mexico’s Alondra de la Parra took over as
conductor for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in 2017, ______ and Colombia’s Lina Gonzalez-Granados
did the same for the Los Angeles Opera in 2022.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. in addition,

B. lastly,

C. granted,

D. for instance,
Question ID 4e564c4f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 4e564c4f
With its clichéd imagery of suburban lawns and power lines, John Ashbery’s 2004 poem “Ignorance of the
Law Is No Excuse” may seem barren terrain for critical analysis. ______ cultural critic Lauren Berlant finds
fertile ground in just its first two stanzas, devoting most of a book chapter to deciphering the “weight of the
default space” Ashbery creates in this poem.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Likewise,

B. Nonetheless,

C. In turn,

D. That is,
Question ID 14bec4c8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 14bec4c8
A turtle shell appears external to the animal, protecting its body like armor. ______ the shell is often
incorrectly assumed to be an exoskeleton, a rigid outer casing like that of a crustacean or an insect, when in
fact it is an endoskeleton, a part of the turtle’s internal bone structure, more akin to a spine or a pair of ribs.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. That being said,

B. However,

C. For instance,

D. Hence,
Question ID 0314684f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 0314684f
Alexander Lawrence Posey (1873–1908) varied his focus and tone depending on the genre in which he was
writing. In his poetry, he used heartfelt language to evoke the beauty and peacefulness of his natural
surroundings; in his journalism, ______ he employed humor and satire to comment on political issues
affecting his Muskogee Creek community.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. that is,

B. granted,

C. similarly,

D. by contrast,
Question ID 222e4d89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 222e4d89
Originally coined by economist Joan Robinson to refer to markets with multiple sellers of a product but only
one buyer, the term “monopsony” can also refer to markets where demand for labor is limited. In a product
monopsony, the single buyer can force sellers to lower their prices. ______ in a labor monopsony, employers
can force workers to accept lower wages.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Earlier,

B. Instead,

C. Similarly,

D. In particular,
Question ID f87d07d3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: f87d07d3
The mineral mtorolite is most commonly found in Zimbabwe. Mtorolite is cryptocrystalline, meaning that its
crystalline structure is so fine that the individual crystals cannot be distinguished by the naked eye or even
under a microscope. The crystals in microcrystalline minerals are also not visible to the naked eye; ______
they can usually be seen under a microscope.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. thus,

B. for example,

C. that said,

D. similarly,
Question ID 108fb9e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 108fb9e7
“Wishcycling”—putting nonrecyclable items into recycling bins under the mistaken belief that those items can
be recycled—ultimately does more harm than good. Nonrecyclable items, such as greasy pizza boxes, can
contaminate recyclable materials, rendering entire batches unusable. ______ nonrecyclable products can
damage recycling plants’ machinery.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Fittingly,

B. On the contrary,

C. Moreover,

D. Nevertheless,
Question ID 410d7d28
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 410d7d28
In her poetry collection Thomas and Beulah, Rita Dove interweaves the titular characters’ personal stories
with broader historical narratives. She places Thomas’s journey from the American South to the Midwest in
the early 1900s within the larger context of the Great Migration. ______ Dove sets events from Beulah’s
personal life against the backdrop of the US Civil Rights Movement.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Specifically,

B. Thus,

C. Regardless,

D. Similarly,
Question ID 492af9c4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 492af9c4
Before California’s 1911 election to approve a proposition granting women the right to vote, activists across
the state sold tea to promote the cause of suffrage. In San Francisco, the Woman’s Suffrage Party sold
Equality Tea at local fairs. ______ in Los Angeles, activist Nancy Tuttle Craig, who ran one of California’s
largest grocery store firms, distributed Votes for Women Tea.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. For example,

B. To conclude,

C. Similarly,

D. In other words,
Question ID 0ef1c197
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 0ef1c197
Some members of the US Supreme Court have resisted calls to televise the court’s oral arguments,
concerned that the participants would be tempted to perform for the cameras (and thus lower the quality of
the discourse). ______ the justices worry that most viewers would not even watch the full deliberations, only
short clips that could be misinterpreted and mischaracterized.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. However,

B. Additionally,

C. In comparison,

D. For example,
Question ID e214479d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: e214479d
Working together with the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources, Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie analyzed data
about snowpack levels in the Chuska Mountains. She found that the snowpack (the amount of snow on the
ground) was deepest in early March at lower elevations. At higher elevations, ______ the snowpack was
deepest in mid-March.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

A. in other words,

B. for instance,

C. on the other hand,

D. in summary,
Question ID a6b35cb9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: a6b35cb9
Scientists long debated the origins of chondrules, tiny glass beads that formed in meteors billions of years
ago. For decades, different theories were proposed, from lightning strikes to powerful rock collisions, but
none had sufficient evidentiary support. ______ scientists found strong evidence that chondrules were formed
by shock waves in nearby nebulae.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. For example,

B. Therefore,

C. Similarly,

D. Finally,
Question ID 369ac3ca
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 369ac3ca
Jeffrey Gibson’s sculptural object KNOW YOUR MAGIC, BABY, an Everlast-brand exercise bag embroidered
with multicolored beads and a fringe associated with the dances of the Ojibwe people, stitches together—
literally and figuratively—recognizable symbols from both Native and non-Native cultures. ______ Gibson’s
piece also blurs the distinction between contemporary art and traditional crafts.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Conversely,

B. In so doing,

C. For instance,

D. In particular,
Question ID 6d524bf4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 6d524bf4
Earth’s auroras—colorful displays of light seen above the northern and southern poles—result, broadly
speaking, from the Sun’s activity. ______ the Sun releases charged particles that are captured by Earth’s
magnetic field and channeled toward the poles. These particles then collide with atoms in the atmosphere,
causing the atoms to emit auroral light.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Specifically,

B. Similarly,

C. Nevertheless,

D. Hence,
Question ID e5e5f6f6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: e5e5f6f6
When designing costumes for film, American artist Suttirat Larlarb typically custom fits the garments to each
actor. ______ for the film Sunshine, in which astronauts must reignite a dying Sun, she designed a golden
spacesuit and had a factory reproduce it in a few standard sizes; lacking a tailor-made quality, the final
creations reflected the ungainliness of actual spacesuits.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Nevertheless,

B. Thus,

C. Likewise,

D. Moreover,
Question ID 43ca2315
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 43ca2315
To discover which fruit varieties were grown in Italy’s Umbria region before the introduction of industrial
farming, botanist Isabella Dalla Ragione often turns to centuries-old lists of cooking ingredients. ______ she
analyzes Renaissance paintings of Umbria, as they can provide accurate representations of fruits that were
grown there long ago.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In sum,

B. Instead,

C. Thus,

D. Additionally,
Question ID eda8735f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: eda8735f
In 1873, Spanish scientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal observed that brain fibers have distinct boundaries with
clear end points, a finding that went against earlier assumptions about the brain. ______ scientists had
assumed that the brain was a continuous web of fused fibers, not a vast network of distinct, individual cells.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. However,

B. Previously,

C. As a result,

D. Likewise,
Question ID 9dcc184d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 9dcc184d
Plato believed material objects to be crude representations of unseen ideal forms. In his view, such abstract,
nonmaterial forms are the ultimate source of knowledge. Aristotle disagreed, positing that knowledge is best
obtained through direct engagement with the material world; ______ sensory experience of the material is the
ultimate source of knowledge.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. regardless,

B. admittedly,

C. in other words,

D. meanwhile,
Question ID 0fc16996
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 0fc16996
Most of the planets that have been discovered outside our solar system orbit G-type stars, like our Sun. In
2014, ______ researchers identified a planet orbiting KELT-9, a B-type star more than twice as massive and
nearly twice as hot as the Sun. Called KELT-9b, it is one of the hottest planets ever discovered.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. likewise,

B. however,

C. therefore,

D. for example,
Question ID 96b7fb54
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 96b7fb54
Observing that a fire in a closed container soon went out, leading eighteenth-century scientists did not
conclude that fresh air (specifically, oxygen) is necessary for combustion; instead, many theorized that the
container’s air had become saturated with a substance called phlogiston. ______ when Joseph Priestley first
isolated oxygen gas in 1774, he termed it “dephlogisticated air.”

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In other words,

B. For this reason,

C. Alternatively,

D. Nevertheless,
Question ID f99639a1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: f99639a1
When one looks at the dark craggy vistas in Hitoshi Fugo’s evocative photo series, one’s mind might wander
off to the cratered surfaces of faraway planets. ______ it’s the series’ title, Flying Frying Pan, that brings one
back to Earth, reminding the viewer that each photo is actually a close-up view of a familiar household object:
a frying pan.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Consequently,

B. Alternatively,

C. Ultimately,

D. Additionally,
Question ID 0ed087c7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 0ed087c7
To perform a quad axel, a figure skater must leap into the air and complete four and a half rotations before
landing, an extreme feat. ______ in 2022, when 17-year-old Ilia Malinin landed the first quad axel—considered
the most difficult quad jump—in a high-level competition, the audience was left awestruck.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Moreover,

B. Fittingly,

C. Next,

D. However,
Question ID c6b6128f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: c6b6128f
Seismologists Kaiqing Yuan and Barbara Romanowicz have proposed that the magma fueling Iceland’s more
than 30 active volcano systems emerges from deep within Earth. The great depths involved—nearly 3,000 km
—mark Iceland’s volcanoes as extreme outliers; ______ many of Earth’s volcanoes are fed by shallow pockets
of magma found less than 15 km below the surface.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. indeed,

B. nevertheless,

C. in addition,

D. consequently,
Question ID 54feada5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 54feada5
At two weeks old, the time their critical socialization period begins, wolves can smell but cannot yet see or
hear. Domesticated dogs, ______ can see, hear, and smell by the end of two weeks. This relative lack of
sensory input may help explain why wolves behave so differently around humans than dogs do: from a very
young age, wolves are more wary and less exploratory.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. in other words,

B. for instance,

C. by contrast,

D. accordingly,
Question ID 0c84bc04
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 0c84bc04
Researchers Helena Mihaljević-Brandt, Lucía Santamaría, and Marco Tullney report that while
mathematicians may have traditionally worked alone, evidence points to a shift in the opposite direction.
______ mathematicians are choosing to collaborate with their peers—a trend illustrated by a rise in the
number of mathematics publications credited to multiple authors.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Similarly,

B. For this reason,

C. Furthermore,

D. Increasingly,
Question ID 22c8ce86
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 22c8ce86
The more diverse and wide ranging an animal’s behaviors, the larger and more energy demanding the
animal’s brain tends to be. ______ from an evolutionary perspective, animals that perform only basic actions
should allocate fewer resources to growing and maintaining brain tissue. The specialized subtypes of ants
within colonies provide an opportunity to explore this hypothesis.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Subsequently,

B. Besides,

C. Nevertheless,

D. Thus,
Question ID ab9fed42
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: ab9fed42
In November 1934, Amrita Sher-Gil was living in what must have seemed like the ideal city for a young artist:
Paris. She was studying firsthand the color-saturated style of France’s modernist masters and beginning to
make a name for herself as a painter. ______ Sher-Gil longed to return to her childhood home of India; only
there, she believed, could her art truly flourish.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Still,

B. Therefore,

C. Indeed,

D. Furthermore,
Question ID 073cdd71
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 073cdd71
In his 1925 book The Morphology of Landscape, US geographer Carl Sauer challenged prevailing views about
how natural landscapes influence human cultures. ______ Sauer argued that instead of being shaped entirely
by their natural surroundings, cultures play an active role in their own development by virtue of their
interactions with the environment.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Similarly,

B. Finally,

C. Therefore,

D. Specifically,
Question ID 163dedcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 163dedcf
The Coastal Futures Conservatory in Virginia is known for creating aural representations of ecological data.
One such effort combines underwater audio recorded in seagrass beds with data that track rising carbon
levels in the seagrass. As carbon levels increase, the audio is correspondingly distorted; ______ listeners can
“hear” the changes in the carbon levels.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. furthermore,

B. by comparison,

C. for instance,

D. thus,
Question ID 30c71ab8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 30c71ab8
The Babylonian king Hammurabi achieved much during his forty-year reign. He conquered all of
Mesopotamia and built Babylon into one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world. Today, ______ he is
mainly remembered for a code of laws inscribed on a seven-foot-tall block of stone: the Code of Hammurabi.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. therefore,

B. likewise,

C. however,

D. for instance,
Question ID 867ceff8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 867ceff8
The Sun and other stars are powered by nuclear fusion reactions, in which two atoms collide to form a single
heavier atom, releasing energy. Scientists have long believed that fusion has the potential to meet humanity’s
clean energy needs. ______ prior to December 2022, no fusion reaction in a laboratory setting had ever
generated a net energy gain.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. For this reason,

B. Moreover,

C. Specifically,

D. That said,
Question ID 9579edb4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 9579edb4
Magnetic levitation (maglev) trains are suspended above a track by powerful electromagnets, reducing
friction and thus allowing for much faster speeds. Though maglev advocates in the US have long imagined
these trains crisscrossing the country, their dream remains unrealized. ______ of the handful of maglev trains
currently in operation, all are in Asia.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In fact,

B. To that end,

C. Nevertheless,

D. That said,
Question ID 814c487f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 814c487f
A firefly uses specialized muscles to draw oxygen into its lower abdomen through narrow tubes, triggering a
chemical reaction whereby the oxygen combines with chemicals in the firefly’s abdomen to produce a glow.
______ when the firefly stops drawing in oxygen, the reaction—and the glow—cease.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. For instance,

B. By contrast,

C. Specifically,

D. In conclusion,
Question ID c5423706
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: c5423706
In a heated debate in biogeography, the field is divided between dispersalists and vicariancists. ______ there
are those who argue that dispersal is the most crucial determining factor in a species’ distribution, and those
who insist that vicariance (separation due to geographic barriers) is. Biogeographer Isabel Sanmartín counts
herself among neither.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Furthermore,

B. By contrast,

C. Similarly,

D. That is,
Question ID f033a241
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: f033a241
Although those who migrated to California in 1849 dreamed of finding gold nuggets in streambeds, the
state’s richest deposits were buried deeply in rock, beyond the reach of individual prospectors. ______ by
1852, many had given up their fortune-hunting dreams and gone to work for one of the large companies
capable of managing California’s complex mining operations.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Furthermore,

B. Still,

C. Consequently,

D. Next,
Question ID c004e532
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: c004e532
In the early 1970s, Albert Popa took up graffiti art, spraying his work onto what was at the time an
unconventional surface: concrete. ______ Albert’s son David has chosen an unusual canvas for his new art
project, Fractured. In this remarkable work, the artist draws charcoal faces onto fragmented ice floes in
Finland, creating the visual effect of a face slowly fracturing.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. However,

B. Indeed,

C. Second,

D. Likewise,
Question ID 0a6b66b3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 0a6b66b3
In 1815, while in exile in Jamaica, Venezuelan revolutionary Simón Bolívar penned a letter praising England’s
republican government and expressing hope that Latin American nations seeking independence from Spain
might achieve something similar. The letter was addressed to a local merchant, Henry Cullen; ______ though,
Bolívar’s goal was to persuade political leaders from England and Europe to support his cause.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. additionally,

B. ultimately,

C. accordingly,

D. consequently,
Question ID e6af160c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: e6af160c
Ugandan American professor Peter Nazareth believed that Elvis Presley’s music is best understood not as a
homogeneous collection but as an anthology (because Elvis showcased the contributions of a wide range of
gospel, blues, and rock artists). ______ Nazareth entitled his college course on Elvis and his music, which
focused on Elvis’s many musical influences, “Elvis as Anthology.”

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. To that end,

B. In sum,

C. That is,

D. In addition,
Question ID b563f866
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: b563f866
Mary Ellen Pleasant, a successful entrepreneur during the gold rush era, earned the moniker “Mother of
Human Rights in California” after successfully challenging discrimination in the state. ______ in 1866, she
sued a streetcar company for denying her and other Black riders service, a suit she eventually won when the
California Supreme Court declared it illegal for carriers to exclude passengers based on race.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. For this reason,

B. Then,

C. In addition,

D. Specifically,
Question ID 56845779
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 56845779
In 1933, the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified. The amendment mandates that
presidential inaugurations be held on January 20, approximately ten weeks after the November election.
______ this amendment requires newly elected US senators and representatives to be sworn into their
respective offices on January 3.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Instead,

B. For instance,

C. Specifically,

D. In addition,
Question ID 5e3e20f9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 5e3e20f9
For years, biologists have experimented with using grime-eating bacteria rather than harsh chemicals to
clean artworks, and results have been impressive overall. ______ these bacterial strains—which can
metabolize centuries’ worth of oil, glue, dirt, and other surface impurities without creating harmful
byproducts—have proven more effective than traditional chemical cleaning methods.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. However,

B. In many cases,

C. As a result,

D. Additionally,
Question ID 0cd1bc7a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 0cd1bc7a
In 2019, researcher Patricia Jurado Gonzalez and food historian Nawal Nasrallah prepared a stew from a
4,000-year-old recipe found on a Mesopotamian clay tablet. When they tasted the dish, known as pašrūtum
(“unwinding”), they found that it had a mild taste and inspired a sense of calm. ______ the researchers,
knowing that dishes were sometimes named after their intended effects, theorized that the dish’s name,
“unwinding,” referred to its function: to help ancient diners relax.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Therefore,

B. Alternately,

C. Nevertheless,

D. Likewise,
Question ID 38f92f17
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 38f92f17
In the early 1900s, Jovita Idár fought injustice on both sides of the Mexico–United States border. As a
reporter for the Texas newspaper La Crónica, she voiced support for the Mexican people’s revolt against
authoritarian rule. ______ she founded the League of Mexican Women, a group that advocated for the rights
of Mexican Americans.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Additionally,

B. In conclusion,

C. For example,

D. Rather,
Question ID 6be089ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 6be089ec
A 2017 study of sign language learners tested the role of iconicity—the similarity of a sign to the thing it
represents—in language acquisition. The study found that the greater the iconicity of a sign, the more likely it
was to have been learned. ______ the correlation between acquisition and iconicity was lower than that
between acquisition and another factor studied: sign frequency.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In fact,

B. In other words,

C. Granted,

D. As a result,
Question ID a4fa26dc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: a4fa26dc
My interest in old public libraries has led me to seek them out whenever I visit a new part of the United
States. ______ I could visit every state in the US and still not find the oldest public library in the Western
Hemisphere. That library, the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, is located in Puebla, Mexico.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. As a result,

B. Nevertheless,

C. Earlier,

D. In other words,
Question ID d52ab835
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: d52ab835
When, in the 1800s, geologists first realized that much of Earth had once been covered by great sheets of ice,
some theorized that the phenomenon was cyclical, occurring at regular intervals. Each Ice Age is so
destructive, though, that it largely erases the geological evidence of its predecessor. ______ geologists were
unable to confirm the theory of cyclical Ice Ages until the 1960s.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Hence,

B. Moreover,

C. Nevertheless,

D. Next,
Question ID a2941bd8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: a2941bd8
Iraqi artist Nazik Al-Malaika, celebrated as the first Arabic poet to write in free verse, didn’t reject traditional
forms entirely; her poem “Elegy for a Woman of No Importance” consists of two ten-line stanzas and a
standard number of syllables. Even in this superficially traditional work, ______ Al-Malaika was breaking new
ground by memorializing an anonymous woman rather than a famous man.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. therefore,

B. in fact,

C. moreover,

D. though,
Question ID 232f78e7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 232f78e7
In hindsight, given the ideas about the natural world circulating among British scientists in the 1800s, the
theory of natural selection was an obvious next step. It may not have been a coincidence, ______ that Charles
Darwin and Alfred Wallace arrived at the concept independently. Indeed, contrary to the popular myth of the
lone genius, theirs is not the first paradigm-shifting theory to have emerged from multiple scholars working in
parallel.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. however,

B. then,

C. moreover,

D. for example,
Question ID bffa7aea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: bffa7aea
Establishing Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is no easy task. Each month, readings of a single second
from atomic clocks around the world are taken and sent to the International Bureau of Weights and
Measures (BIPM) in France. ______ BIPM metrologists perform the meticulous work of assembling these
minutely disparate readings into a globally shared time standard.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. There,

B. In particular,

C. For example,

D. Conversely,
Question ID 68ef9df3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 68ef9df3
Jhumpa Lahiri’s story collection Interpreter of Maladies features multiple stories about romantic
relationships. In “This Blessed House,” newlyweds argue over whether to replace items left by the previous
owners of their new home. ______ in “A Temporary Matter,” a husband and wife attempt to rekindle their
relationship during a four-night blackout.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Granted,

B. For example,

C. Likewise,

D. Hence,
Question ID c7df58ea
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: c7df58ea
Award-winning travel writer Linda Watanabe McFerrin considers the background research she conducts on
destinations featured in her travel books to be its own reward. ______ McFerrin admits to finding the research
phase of her work just as fascinating and engaging as exploring a location in person.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. By contrast,

B. Likewise,

C. Besides,

D. In fact,
Question ID 5ef8db0f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 5ef8db0f
In retrospect, one of the lessons of the 2003 Human Genome Project is that a gene is affected by many
factors, not the least of which is its interactions with the protein products of other genes. ______ rather than
just focusing on the human genome, efforts to better understand gene mutations related to disease have
begun to consider the human proteome, the complete set of proteins expressed by human genes.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In other words,

B. That said,

C. For example,

D. Accordingly,
Question ID 5c9c0b00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 5c9c0b00
A 2022 study by researchers Hala Altamimi and Qiaozhen Liu investigated the relationship between nonprofit
arts organizations’ spending and performance. ______ the researchers examined the correlation between how
much 22,328 US arts nonprofits spent on overhead—operational costs such as equipment and fundraising—
and how many people attended their events (a measure of overall success).

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Thus,

B. In addition,

C. By comparison,

D. Specifically,
Question ID b08f7afd
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: b08f7afd
The Inca of South America used intricately knotted string devices called quipus to record countable
information, like population data and payments. ______ they may have used quipus to record more complex
information, like stories and myths, according to researchers.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. As a result,

B. In other words,

C. In addition,

D. For example,
Question ID 021690e1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 021690e1
With her room-sized installation The Interstitium, Iranian American artist Laleh Mehran succeeded in creating
a space that felt, as intended, both “familiar and distant.” ______ with a video screen placed at the far end of
the coal slag-encrusted room, her installation was reminiscent of a typical movie theater—albeit one found in
a subterranean coal mine.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Next,

B. Nevertheless,

C. Indeed,

D. Instead,
Question ID ff6dbb27
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: ff6dbb27
In response to adverse environmental conditions, many plants produce abscisic acid (ABA), a stress
hormone. ABA triggers a slowdown in the biological processes of most plants. ______ when the mustard
plant Schrenkiella parvula produces ABA in response to an environmental stressor, the hormone triggers
accelerated growth.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Moreover,

B. In contrast,

C. For example,

D. Thus,
Question ID 08b1d40a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 08b1d40a
Biographer Michael Gorra notes that the novelist Henry James “lived in a world of second thoughts,”
frequently tinkering with his novels and stories after their initial publication. However, the differences
between the 1881 first edition and the 1908 edition of his novel A Portrait of a Lady are extreme, even by
James’s standards; ______ some critics regard the two editions as two different novels altogether.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. by contrast,

B. in fact,

C. nevertheless,

D. in other words,
Question ID 2fbd7456
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 2fbd7456
When soil becomes contaminated by toxic metals, it can be removed from the ground and disposed of in a
landfill. ______ contaminated soil can be detoxified via phytoremediation: plants that can withstand high
concentrations of metals absorb the pollutants and store them in their shoots, which are then cut off and
safely disposed of, preserving the health of the plants.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Alternatively,

B. Specifically,

C. For example,

D. As a result,
Question ID a3df6d00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: a3df6d00
Because an achiral molecule is symmetrical, flipping it yields a structurally identical molecule. A flipped chiral
molecule, ______ can be compared to a glove that has been turned inside out: it produces a structurally
inverted molecule rather than an identical one.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. in other words,

B. by contrast,

C. for example,

D. similarly,
Question ID 274d8844
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 274d8844
Okot p’Bitek’s poem Song of Lawino (1966) explores postcolonial Ugandan life through the eyes of a woman
living in a rural village. With its vibrant imagery, bitingly satiric tone, and dexterous use of traditional Acholi
song and phraseology, the poem inspired a generation of East African writers. ______ those who adopted its
style are often referred to as Okot School poets.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Nevertheless,

B. Fittingly,

C. By comparison,

D. Instead,
Question ID 5bb70279
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 5bb70279
“Tulip mania”—the rapid rise and sudden fall of the price of tulip bulbs in seventeenth-century Amsterdam—is
often cited as an example of the perils of rampant market speculation. However, recent research has
demonstrated that the episode was neither as frenzied nor as disastrous as has been thought. The popular
myth surrounding it, ______ should be regarded with some skepticism.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. for example,

B. by contrast,

C. nevertheless,

D. therefore,
Question ID 001228f7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 001228f7
Archaeologist Sue Brunning explains why the seventh-century ship burial site at Sutton Hoo in England was
likely the tomb of a king. First, the gold artifacts inside the ship suggest that the person buried with them was
a wealthy and respected leader. ______ the massive effort required to bury the ship would likely only have
been undertaken for a king.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Instead,

B. Still,

C. Specifically,

D. Second,
Question ID a7212549
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: a7212549
According to Duverger’s law, countries with single-ballot majoritarian elections for single-member districts
tend to polarize into two-party systems, wherein dueling political parties consistently dominate the political
system. ______ countries with proportional-representation electoral systems tend to support multi-partyism,
under which power gets distributed among many political parties.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Subsequently,

B. Conversely,

C. For instance,

D. In other words,
Question ID 46d91c77
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Hard

ID: 46d91c77
In 2009, the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles hosted a special exhibition, Sueños/Yume,
showcasing the works of local sculptor Dora de Larios. As suggested by the show’s title (sueños and yume
mean “dreams” in Spanish and Japanese, respectively), de Larios’s art reflects a mix of cultural influences.
______ her work is grounded in the artistic traditions of both Mexico and Japan.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In addition,

B. In contrast,

C. Specifically,

D. Therefore,
Question ID a053d0b8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: a053d0b8
One poll taken after the first 1960 presidential debate suggested that John Kennedy lost badly: only 21
percent of those who listened on the radio rated him the winner. ______ the debate was ultimately considered
a victory for the telegenic young senator, who rated higher than his opponent, Vice President Richard Nixon,
among those watching on the new medium of television.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. In other words,

B. Therefore,

C. Likewise,

D. Nevertheless,
Question ID 2138137b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 2138137b
The chemical trimethylamine N-oxide not only gives fish their fishy smell but also protects them from
crushing hydrostatic pressure in deep waters. Trimethylamine N-oxide strengthens the bonds between water
molecules in a fish’s body. ______ these water molecules maintain their linked structure at extreme depths,
thus preventing pressure-related damage.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Nevertheless,

B. As a result,

C. However,

D. For instance,
Question ID 2b5fd1f4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Reading and Writing Expression of Ideas Transitions Medium

ID: 2b5fd1f4
In the 1880s, inventor Lewis Latimer improved upon Thomas Edison’s design for the electric light bulb. ______
Latimer made the light bulb more durable by placing cardboard around its carbon filament. With this
innovation, Latimer became the first Black inventor to contribute to the electrification of the world.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
A. Soon,

B. Regardless,

C. However,

D. Specifically,