Are you taking the ACT soon? Read on to hear Brooke’s tips on approaching ACT Short Transitions questions.
Use Context
The first thing you should do is scribble out the underlined word in the question, and then write that word in next to the “NO CHANGE” answer choice. Next, read the sentence before and after the transition word as if there is no word there. Third, try to intuit what kind of word should go in the blank to complete the transition. What does your intuition think the word should be? What type of sentences are you reading? Is it a claim and an example? A cause and effect? Two pieces of evidence? When you look at your answer choices, do you see any words appropriate to the relationship you came up with?
If you’re still stuck at this point, now is the time to plug in the words and read through the complete sentence with the word plugged in. How does it sound? If you’re still struggling, you can also spool out the answer choice. Spooling means making up another sentence using the words you’re not sure about. This is a good way to help yourself understand how you would typically use these words. Finally, make sure to check the grammar!
You can use these steps to work through Short Transitions problems on your ACT exam. You can practice this sequence when studying for your test.
