Transition sentences

A common concept on the ACT English test is the flow of ideas. In writing, common mistakes are jumping too far between ideas and making choppy transitions. The ACT folks, then, want to make sure you can track this flow. Think of this like being able to hear the music of a piece of writing. Is it in tune? Is the timing right? Let’s take a look and see what this kind of question might look like.

Example

“Emma had always been fascinated by astronomy, spending countless nights gazing at the stars and studying the mysteries of the universe. She dreamed of becoming an astronaut, venturing into space to explore distant galaxies and walk on alien worlds. With a thirst for knowledge and a passion for space exploration, she dedicated herself to studying science and mathematics, eager to turn her dream into a reality. [A] Emma enrolled in specialized astrophysics courses, joined space clubs at her school, and attended conferences led by renowned scientists.”

Which of the following sentences, if added at Point A in the passage, best connects the preceding sentence to the information that follows in the paragraph?

A. Emma’s older sister, who was an astrophysicist, served as her role model and inspiration.
B. However, she faced numerous academic challenges that tested her determination to pursue her dream.
C. NASA, the renowned space agency, accepted Emma into their astronaut training program.
D. Exploring the wonders of the universe has captivated humanity since ancient times.

The good news is that the process for answering these questions correctly is the same as you’ll find in our chapter on Transition words, so check that out for further practice and ideas.

When the question uses words like “connects,” that’s a sure indicator that you’re working with transitions. The process of answering these questions will always be the same.

What we want to do here is consider the idea before, consider the idea after, and look for the sentence that links the two. Here’s the trick: the ACT people can’t leave this up to interpretation. Therefore, there is usually a very clear link—if you can find it. Let’s go through each of the above answer choices to see what cannot be—and what is—the correct answer.

Remember our process: Idea before, idea after, find one that links logically and fluidly.

Before we look at the answer choices, let’s identify the idea before and the idea after. The sentence before is in line with the rest of the paragraph as it tracks Emma’s journey to becoming an astronaut. The paragraph begins with her childhood fascination with space, gives an example of that fascination (looking at the stars for hours), states her intention (to become an astronaut), and then finally, her focus at school (math and science courses) and her dedication (“dream into a reality”). This is the point we need to find something for.

The idea afterward continues on this chronological journey. Because of the mention of “specialized astrophysics courses” and “conferences by renowned scientists,” we can definitely infer that she has progressed academically—either in the upper levels of high school or potentially college.

Now let’s look at the answer choices and see which one connects all the ideas together the best.

D. Exploring the wonders of the universe has captivated humanity since ancient times.

The problem with this answer choice is that it interrupts the logical flow with something random. Because it suddenly “zooms out” and becomes much less specific to the story, it could potentially serve as some sort of conclusion sentence to the paragraph—though it would still feel abrupt. Even that, however, can’t work because there IS another sentence having specifically to do with Emma. This won’t do, then.

C. NASA, the renowned space agency, accepted Emma into their astronaut training program.

The problem with this answer choice is it puts the chronological organization of the paragraph out of sorts. The idea before Point [A], remember, is that she is in high school trying to become an astronaut. The idea after is that she’s still in school, so it can’t jump to NASA in between, which would only happen well after high school.

B. However, she faced numerous academic challenges that tested her determination to pursue her dream.

This is also a logical flaw. If the next sentence focused on some of those academic challenges, this would be a great transition sentence—but it doesn’t! Remember that the idea after Point A is about the choices she makes and events she attends in school to help her become an astronaut. There is no mention of academic challenges, so there is nothing for this sentence to connect to. It is left floating.

A. Emma’s older sister, who was an astrophysicist, served as her role model and inspiration.

In fairness, this isn’t really the greatest transition sentence either—though it is the right answer. The sudden introduction of Emma’s older sister at first seems like a logical flow issue. The rest of the sentence, however, does the job nicely. Notice the specific tie-in here: the sister is an astrophysicist, and the idea after Point A specifically mentions astrophysics courses. Option A establishes a direct link between Point A and the idea that follows. This answer choice also continues the chronological organization of the paragraph by mentioning other sources of support Emma had while she was going through school with a focus on becoming an astronaut.

Key points

While every transition sentence question looks a little different, all or nearly all of these questions will have some sort of direct link with either the idea before or the idea after (such as a pronoun referring to a specific word or a common concept)
Look at the idea before, and the idea after, and select the option that completes the logical flow (often, you may have to consider the rest of the paragraph)