Question

1. in latin american countries, gifts can be given at the beginning of a meeting. ____, it is appropriate to give a gift at the end of the meeting in asia and the middle east.

instead of
in contrast
in spite of

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Transition Words and Phrases
Connecting contrasting ideas between sentences

Step 1: Analyze the relationship between the sentences

The first sentence describes a custom in Latin American countries:

"In Latin American countries, gifts can be given at the beginning of a meeting."

The second sentence describes a custom in Asia and the Middle East:

"... it is appropriate to give a gift at the end of the meeting in Asia and the Middle East."

The two sentences present opposing or differing customs (giving gifts at the beginning vs. at the end). Therefore, we need a transition that shows contrast.

Step 2: Evaluate the grammatical structure

The blank is followed by a comma and starts a new independent clause:

[ Blank ] , it is appropriate to give a gift...

• "Instead of" and "In spite of" are prepositions. They must be followed by a noun, pronoun, or gerund (e.g., "Instead of that, ..." or "Instead of going, ..."). They cannot be used alone as transitional adverbs followed directly by a comma and a main clause.
• "In contrast" is a transitional phrase (conjunctive adverb) used to introduce a statement that is different from the previous one. It is correctly followed by a comma and a complete sentence.

Step 3: Select the correct option

"In contrast" perfectly fits both the contrasting meaning and the grammatical structure of the sentence.

Answer:

In contrast