SAT OwlScientists once thought that the ability to recognize individual faces was limited to animals with large, complex brains, such as mammals and birds. ______ studies have shown that paper wasps of the species Polistes fuscatus can learn to tell apart the faces of other wasps, whose facial markings vary from one individual to the next.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Recently, however,
For this reason,
Similarly,
In other words,
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The first sentence gives an old belief, and the second describes newer findings that contradict it: an insect with a tiny brain can recognize faces. "Recently, however" marks both the shift in time and the contrast.
"Similarly" would treat the wasps as one more example of large-brained animals, but the wasp finding challenges the earlier belief.
Why the other choices are wrong
- B. This phrase implies the wasp finding is a result of the previous belief, but the new evidence actually contradicts the old assumption about brain size.
- C. This option suggests the wasps are another example of large-brained animals, which ignores the fact that their small brains challenge the earlier scientific consensus.
- D. This transition is used to restate an idea in different words, but the second sentence introduces new, contradictory information rather than clarifying the first sentence.
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