This timely article describes the causes of the adolescent literacy crisis, the decline in the literacy skills of America's youth. As students grow older and become more independent, interests outside of school emerge. Many teenagers struggle to stay motivated to read. Older students who cannot read may be more embarrassed than younger students. They may stop trying altogether. What type of transition words would help communicate the ideas in this text? time or sequential transitions cause-and-effect transitions compare-and-contrast transitions none of the above

The most effective transition words for communicating the ideas in your text are: **Cause-and-effect transitions** **Explanation:** Your passage discusses the reasons behind the decline in literacy skills among adolescents (causes) and the resulting behaviors (effects). Using cause-and-effect transition words like "because," "therefore," "as a result," and "consequently" will help clearly illustrate the relationship between the emergence of interests outside school and the decrease in students' motivation to read. **Example:** - *Many teenagers struggle to stay motivated to read **because** their interests outside of school have emerged.* - *Older students who cannot read may feel embarrassed; **therefore**, they may stop trying altogether.* Using cause-and-effect transitions will enhance the clarity and flow of your argument by explicitly connecting the underlying reasons to the observed outcomes.