Text Structure and Transitions

Structure is the quiet skill on this subtest. It does not have many questions of its own, but it makes every other type faster, because knowing what a passage is doing tells you where to look.

The five structures

Enlarge

Zoom in

Each structure puts its point somewhere predictable.

• Cause and effect: the effect, usually last.
• Compare and contrast: the distinction, wherever the contrast lands.
• Sequence: the whole process is the point, and no single sentence carries it.
• Problem and solution: the solution.
• Description: distributed, so you have to write the main idea yourself.

The transitions worth knowing

Grouped by what they do to the sentence before.

Reverses it: however, but, yet, nevertheless, on the contrary, although, whereas, in spite of, conversely, still.

Continues it: also, in addition, furthermore, moreover, similarly, likewise, besides.

Concludes from it: therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, so, hence, accordingly.

Gives its cause: because, since, due to, owing to.

Illustrates it: for example, for instance, such as, specifically, in particular.

Restates it: in other words, that is, put another way.

Concedes something: admittedly, granted, of course, it is true that.

The reversers are the highest-value group. A "however" tells you the sentence before it was not the point, and a passage whose real claim sits after a "however" will mislead anyone who stopped reading at the first sentence.

Concession, and the trap it sets

The concession group deserves separate attention, because it is how a passage states something it does not believe.

Granted, the older procedure took less time on paper. In practice it required two people, and the time saved disappeared the moment either of them was unavailable.

The first sentence is not the author's position. It is an acknowledgment being set up for a reversal.

A question asking for the main idea of that passage is answered by the second sentence. A reader who takes the first at face value gets it exactly backward, and the concession words - granted, admittedly, of course, it is true that - are what warn you.

Watch for a concession followed by a reverser. That pattern is the author saying "here is what you might think, and here is why it is wrong", and the point is always in the second half.

Using structure to answer faster

Sequence passages: questions about what comes before or after are answered by the order words, not by understanding the process. Find "before" and read around it.

Cause and effect passages: questions frequently reverse the relationship. The passage says A caused B and a choice says B caused A. Locating the "because" or "as a result" settles it immediately.

Compare and contrast passages: questions ask which attribute belongs to which thing, and it is easy to attach a detail to the wrong one. Read the contrast sentence carefully and note which side each fact sits on.

Working one through

Aluminum conducts electricity well and costs less than copper, which is why it was widely used for building wiring in the 1960s and 1970s. However, aluminum expands and contracts more than copper as it heats and cools, and connections made with hardware designed for copper can loosen over time. A loose connection heats further, and the problem accelerates.

The passage is organized mainly as

(A) a sequence of steps (B) a comparison followed by a cause-and-effect chain (C) a problem and its solution (D) a list of properties

Look at the structure. The first sentence compares aluminum with copper on two attributes. "However" reverses. Then the last two sentences run a chain: expansion leads to loosening, loosening leads to heating, heating accelerates the problem.

(B).

Note that (C) is tempting because a problem is described, but no solution is offered, and a problem-solution structure requires the solution. Reading to the end settles it.

Note also where the main idea sits: after the "however". Anyone summarizing this passage as "aluminum is cheaper than copper" read the first sentence and stopped.

What you can skip

• Memorizing every transition word. The transitions worth knowing above cover the relationships asked; only about seven questions ask about a transition directly.

Where people lose points

Stopping at the first sentence of a passage whose point comes after a reverser.

Taking a concession as the author's position.

Reversing a cause and an effect, which is easy when both are in the passage.

Attaching a detail to the wrong side of a comparison.

Calling a passage problem-solution when it only states a problem.

Work one in under a minute

Of course, a checklist adds time to a preflight inspection. That time is measured in seconds, and the failures it prevents are measured in aircraft.

Which best states the author's position?

(A) Checklists take too long (B) Checklists are worth the time they cost (C) Preflight inspections should be shortened (D) Aircraft failures are unavoidable

"Of course" is a concession, so the first sentence is what the author is acknowledging, not what the author believes. The second sentence carries the position, and its structure - seconds against aircraft - is a comparison of magnitudes making the case.

(B).

(A) is the concession mistaken for the conclusion, which is the most common wrong answer on this shape.

Where this leads

Structure tells you where the main idea sits and where an inference can rest, so it makes the other question types faster rather than adding work.