Read the sentences below. Pay attention to the transition words in bold.

Choose the
correct meaning of the sentences.

1. Interest rates on mortgages have remained low encouraging renters to buy houses. Having
said that, many first-time buyers still cannot afford a down payment.
a) Many renters have said that they want to buy a house.
b) Banks have said that first-time buyers cannot afford a down payment.
c) If interest rates are low, everybody says that first-time buyers cannot afford a down payment.
d) Although interest rates are low, many first-time buyers cannot afford to buy a house.

2. Recently, many subway lines have been taken out of service on weekends in order to do track
work.
a) The track work started a short time ago.
b) The track work started a long time ago.
c) The track work has not yet started.
d) This is nothing new. It has always been this way.

3. Granted, the economy is doing well under the current administration, but many college
graduates still cannot find jobs.
a) The writer of this sentence does not believe that the economy is doing well.
b) The writer of this sentence believes that the economy is doing well, but still thinks that there
are problems.
c) The writer of this sentence believes that college grants are helping the economy to do well.
d) The writer of this sentence believes that although the economy is doing well, more college
grants should be provided to college students.
4. Theoretically, good public transportation should reduce the number of cars on the roads.
However, people like the comfort of their cars.
a) It makes sense that people would want to use trains and buses instead of cars if the public
transportation system is good.
b) Scientists are studying people’s choices when the public transportation is good.
c) When the public transportation is good, people choose it over the comfort of their cars.
d) It is only a theory that public transportation is good.

5. It would be nice if all countries destroyed all of their nuclear weapons, but such an event is
unimaginable.
a) It is such a nice idea for all the countries to do this.
b) It is such a terrible thing for countries to have nuclear weapons.
c) It is unimaginable that countries have nuclear weapons.
d) It seems impossible for this event to ever happen.

6. Starting a business is a lot of work. It may mean working late nights and seven days a week.
In the end, all of the work may pay off.
a) You can lose all of your money when you open a business.
b) If the business fails, you have to pay all of the employees anyway.
c) After you do all of the work, you may have a good business.
d) At the end of each day, you will receive pay for your work.

7. Older adults may not be able to continue to drive if their cognitive skills start to decline. In
some cases, dementia may be a factor.
a) If an older adult drives poorly, there may be a court case.
b) One reason for a decline in cognitive skills may be dementia.
c) In some states, older adults cannot drive.
d) There have been case studies of cognitive decline in older adults who still drive.
8. Young people may not always make the best decisions when it comes to voting. However,
what they lack in maturity, they make up in passion.
a) Although young people are not mature, they have a lot of strong feelings regarding their
opinions.
b) Young people do not have maturity because they cannot control their feelings.
c) Because young people are not mature, they often make up stories which are not true.
d) Young people have both maturity and passion.

9. Unpleasant as it might be, it is important that we all get the required medical screenings for
our age.
a) It is unpleasant to hear bad news from the doctor.
b) It is never an unpleasant experience to visit the doctor.
c) Medical screenings are often uncomfortable.
d) Staff in doctors’ offices tend to be rude.

10. The weather will not be very warm weather in the coming week, nor will there be much sun.
a) It will be cold but sunny in the coming week.
b) It will not be warm or sunny in the coming week.
c) Although it will be cold in the coming week, there will be some sun.
d) Although it will not be cold in the coming week, there will not be much sun.