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ACT English: Transitions and Connectors (Drill 1)

Drill 1 · English · Transitions and Connectors

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About This Drill

ACT English: Transitions and Connectors (Drill 1) is a English practice drill covering Transitions and Connectors. It contains 5 original questions created by Brian Stewart, a Barron's test prep author with over 20 years of tutoring experience.

Transitions and Connectors questions ask you to choose the word or phrase that best expresses the logical relationship between ideas. You must understand the meaning of both the sentence containing the transition and the surrounding context. Choose the best option, or select "No Change" if the original is correct.

Questions & Explanations

Passage Excerpt
The early trials of the vaccine showed remarkable results in laboratory settings. Therefore, when the drug entered human clinical trials, researchers encountered a series of unexpected side effects that halted progress.

Question 1. Which transition word or phrase best connects these two sentences?

  • A) No Change (Therefore)
  • B) However ✓
  • C) In addition
  • D) Similarly

Explanation: Choice B is correct. The first sentence describes positive lab results; the second sentence describes a disappointing outcome in human trials. This is a contrast relationship, the unexpected side effects contradict what the strong early results might have predicted. "However" is a contrast transition that correctly signals this shift. Choice A uses "Therefore," which signals a cause-and-effect relationship; it implies the good lab results caused the side effects, which makes no logical sense. Choice C uses "In addition," which signals that the second idea adds to the first, but the second idea contradicts, not adds to, the first. Choice D uses "Similarly," which signals that the two ideas resemble each other; they do not.

Passage Excerpt
The region experienced its driest summer in recorded history, with rainfall totals less than a quarter of the seasonal average. Nevertheless, wildfires spread rapidly across thousands of acres of tinder-dry forest and grassland.

Question 2. Which transition word or phrase best connects these two sentences?

  • A) No Change (Nevertheless)
  • B) On the other hand
  • C) For example
  • D) As a result ✓

Explanation: Choice D is correct. The first sentence describes a severe drought; the second describes wildfires spreading. The drought directly caused the fire conditions; this is a cause-and-effect relationship. "As a result" correctly signals that the wildfires were a consequence of the drought. Choice A uses "Nevertheless," which signals contrast or concession, as if the wildfires happened despite something that should have prevented them. But nothing in the first sentence suggests fires should have been prevented; the drought made them more likely. Choice B uses "On the other hand," a contrast transition inappropriate here. Choice C uses "For example," which signals that the second sentence illustrates a general point, the second sentence is not an example of the drought; it is a consequence of it.

Passage Excerpt
Many everyday products contain chemical compounds originally developed for military applications. For instance, the microwave oven was invented after an engineer noticed that radar waves had melted a chocolate bar in his pocket.

Question 3. Which transition word or phrase best connects these two sentences?

  • A) No Change (For instance) ✓
  • B) In contrast
  • C) Consequently
  • D) Furthermore

Explanation: Choice A (No Change) is correct. The first sentence makes a general claim, that many products came from military technology. The second sentence gives a specific case that illustrates that claim: the microwave oven. "For instance" correctly signals that what follows is an example supporting the general statement. Choice B uses "In contrast," which would imply the microwave story contradicts or differs from the first sentence; it does not; it supports it. Choice C uses "Consequently," implying that the microwave story is a result of the general claim; it is not a consequence; it is an illustration. Choice D uses "Furthermore," which adds another point of equal weight, but the second sentence is not a separate additional claim; it is a specific example of the first.

Passage Excerpt
Because the documentary received largely negative reviews from critics, it became one of the most-watched films on the streaming platform that year.

Question 4. Which transition word or phrase best connects the ideas in this sentence?

  • A) No Change (Because)
  • B) Although ✓
  • C) Since
  • D) Given that

Explanation: Choice B is correct. The sentence contains two ideas that seem to contradict each other: negative reviews and high viewership. The connector must signal a concession or contrast, the film succeeded despite, not because of, the bad reviews. "Although" correctly introduces a concessive clause, acknowledging the negative reviews while setting up the surprising positive outcome. Choice A uses "Because," which signals that the bad reviews caused the high viewership, a logical reversal of the intended meaning. Choices C and D ("Since" and "Given that") are also causal connectors that imply the negative reviews led to the high viewership, which is the wrong relationship.

Passage Excerpt
The new transit line cut average commute times by nearly twenty minutes. However, it reduced traffic congestion on the parallel highway corridor by an estimated thirty percent.

Question 5. Which transition word or phrase best connects these two sentences?

  • A) No Change (However)
  • B) Moreover ✓
  • C) On the contrary
  • D) Instead

Explanation: Choice B is correct. Both sentences describe benefits of the new transit line, faster commutes and reduced highway congestion. The second sentence adds another positive outcome on top of the first. "Moreover" signals addition and emphasis, correctly indicating that the second benefit reinforces and extends the first. Choice A uses "However," which signals contrast, implying that the traffic reduction somehow contradicts the commute improvement, which makes no sense since both are positive outcomes of the same transit line. Choices C and D ("On the contrary" and "Instead") are contrast/replacement transitions that also imply the second sentence reverses or opposes the first, which it does not.