When the neighborhood bakery shifted its opening time from 8 a.m. to 6 a.m., commuters who used to pass it by on their way to the train began stopping in, praising the shorter lines and hot croissants ready the moment the doors opened; the owner also advertised the change on local forums, which drew a steady stream of new faces. _____, the shop now sells out of pastries before midmorning each day and has hired two additional staff members to keep pace with surging demand.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

After surveying traffic patterns, the city removed several curbside parking spaces to install a connected network of protected bike lanes last spring, publicizing the change with maps and community workshops, and officials emphasized safety benefits and solicited feedback from residents and shop owners. _____, weekday bicycle counts on the corridor doubled within three months, and nearby businesses reported more customers arriving by bike, a shift that also eased congestion on parallel streets and reduced the number of short car trips to neighborhood shops.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Last year, the city converted several high-traffic corridors into networks of protected bike lanes, separating riders from cars with curb-height barriers and clear signage; within twelve months, weekday cycling trips were up 40 percent, surveys found that many new riders felt comfortable for the first time, local businesses along the routes reported more foot traffic, and shop owners described customers arriving by bike who would not have driven to the area before. _____ crashes involving cyclists declined markedly as drivers adjusted to narrower car lanes and predictable turning boxes, a change transportation officials attribute to the calmer, more legible street design.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Some managers worry that hybrid schedules will fracture team cohesion, arguing that spontaneous conversations vanish when not everyone shares the same office every day; they point to sluggish email threads as evidence of stalled decision-making, and such concerns have been amplified by high-profile executives who equate physical presence with commitment. _____, recent randomized trials at large firms found that teams with two coordinated in-person days each week maintained strong networks and met deadlines at rates comparable to fully co-located groups, while also reporting higher satisfaction among employees with caregiving responsibilities.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

To expand access to job resources, the public library launched free workshops on resume writing, interview practice, and salary negotiation led by volunteer career counselors; the sessions quickly filled with recent graduates and midcareer workers seeking a change, and post-session surveys showed that participants left with concrete action plans and new contacts. _____, the library began lending tablets preloaded with language-learning apps and job-search tools to patrons who lack reliable devices at home, a practice supported by a local grant that also covers data service for those without internet access.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Because many items in the collection were brittle, the museum's archivists proceeded carefully with digitization, photographing each manuscript page under calibrated lights and logging metadata to ensure future researchers could find the images, while also testing redundant storage formats to guard against file corruption and loss, a method that slowed progress but reduced the risk of damage to irreplaceable artifacts. _____, requests from scholars around the world continued to arrive daily, pushing the small team to balance preservation with responsiveness, including urgent inquiries for fragile materials needed to meet grant application deadlines.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

Many coastal cities are investing in concrete seawalls and elevated promenades, as well as installing floodgates at key inlets, to guard against rising tides, citing models that predict regular flooding of roads, transit lines, and homes and forecasting billions in property losses over the next several decades. _____, by interrupting the natural flow of water and sand, these barriers can redirect storm surge into neighboring communities and accelerate beach erosion, exacerbating damage there even in lesser storms and undermining habitats that help buffer coasts naturally.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

After launching a pay-what-you-wish evening program, the museum saw its weekday attendance double, with families and students forming lines that wrapped around the block and lingering longer in galleries that used to sit empty after five. _____, curators shifted some tours to later slots, galleries added hands-on stations, and security scheduled additional guards to handle the larger crowds.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

The latest budget smartphone pairs a brighter, color-accurate display with a battery that routinely lasts two full days, according to independent reviewers who ran stress tests, played games, streamed video, and navigated with maps during commutes; in bright sun, the screen stayed readable, and call quality remained clear on a noisy street. _____, testers praised its durable build, easily repairable design with standard screws, and software support that promises security updates for years, features rarely found at this price.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?

For decades, archaeologists described the plateau settlement as a seasonal ceremonial site, but a recent pollen analysis of soil cores revealed abundant traces of cultivated barley and millet, along with microscopic residues consistent with irrigation, and radiocarbon dating of charred seeds aligns with occupation layers. _____, the research team now argues that the residents farmed the valley floor and stored surplus grain on the plateau, a scenario that explains the large storage pits and grinding stones previously considered ritual objects.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?