Set 14: Transitions
Explanation
PASSAGE
The Enlightenment philosophers championed reason as the supreme guide to human affairs, rejecting tradition and superstition as obstacles to progress. Their critiques of religious authority profoundly shaped modern secular thought. _______ several leading figures, including Voltaire and Locke, retained belief in a deity, advocating deism rather than atheism.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Detailed Answer Explanation
This question asks you to choose the transition that best connects two ideas. Critics of religion who nonetheless believed in God—this seems contradictory. 'Paradoxically' highlights this apparent tension in Enlightenment thought. Transitions signal the relationship between sentences or paragraphs. Determine the logical relationship (addition, contrast, cause-effect, example) and select the transition that accurately expresses it. The right transition makes the relationship between ideas crystal clear. Consider what logical connection exists: Is the second idea adding to the first? Contrasting it? Showing a result? The transition should accurately reflect this relationship.
Key Evidence:
• "critiques of religious authority"
• "retained belief in a deity"
Why others are wrong: A (Summary - this is a complicating detail, not a summary.), D (Comparison - retaining God-belief seems to contrast with critiquing religion.), B (Cause/effect - deism isn't caused by critiquing religion.).
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