Expression of Ideas · ~20% of Reading & Writing
50+ free practice questions, every answer explained.
Transitions asks which word or phrase best connects two sentences — however, therefore, for example, similarly, in contrast, and their relatives. The two sentences are always given in full; the only question is what relationship holds between them.
Cover the answer choices. Read both sentences and name the relationship in one word of your own: contrast, cause, result, example, addition, or restatement. Only then uncover the choices and pick the one in that family. Reading the choices first is what makes this question type feel like a judgement call — it is not one, and there is exactly one relationship the sentences support.
Choosing a contrast word when the second sentence merely adds detail. "However" and "nevertheless" feel sophisticated and appear as wrong answers far more often than they are right. If you cannot say what is being contrasted with what, it is not a contrast.
The probe completed its primary survey mission after fourteen months in orbit. ______, engineers determined that its remaining power supply could support several more years of bonus observations.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Answer: D. Completing the primary mission followed by an unexpected extension due to remaining power is a shift from an expected endpoint to an added possibility—'However' signals this contrast.
50+ questions across 7 drills. Each drill is answered as a set — you see every explanation at once, at the end.
10 Transitions questions, easiest first, every answer explained.
Start drill 1 → Drill 210 Transitions questions, easiest first, every answer explained.
Start drill 2 → Drill 310 Transitions questions, easiest first, every answer explained.
Start drill 3 →Drills 4–7 continue from the end of drill 3 — each drill links to the next.
Writing choices: the logical connector between two sentences, and using notes to hit a stated goal.
Transitions asks which word or phrase best connects two sentences — however, therefore, for example, similarly, in contrast, and their relatives. The two sentences are always given in full; the only question is what relationship holds between them.
Cover the answer choices. Read both sentences and name the relationship in one word of your own: contrast, cause, result, example, addition, or restatement. Only then uncover the choices and pick the one in that family. Reading the choices first is what makes this question type feel like a judgement call — it is not one, and there is exactly one relationship the sentences support.
Transitions sits in the Expression of Ideas domain, which is ~20% of the Reading & Writing section — roughly 8–12 of its 54 questions. The College Board publishes weights by domain, not by individual skill, so an exact per-skill count is not something anyone can promise you.
No. Every question is original, written to the College Board's published Digital SAT Reading & Writing specification. No retired or copyrighted College Board material appears anywhere on this site.
50+ questions across 7 drills, all free, no account needed, every answer explained.