Australia ratified the Outer Space Treaty, an international agreement with over 100 signing nations that acts as the foundation for the laws of space, on January 27, 1967. Colombia signed the treaty;_______it has yet to officially ratify it.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
Explanation
Context: The text notes that Australia ratified the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, then turns to Colombia, which signed the treaty. The blank connects that signing to the fact that Colombia has still not officially ratified it.
Answer: A) however,
Why? Signing points toward committing to the treaty, and the clause after the blank reports that the final step never came, cutting against the expectation the first clause creates. "However" marks that reversal.
Traps:
- B) "similarly," claims the clauses match, but signing and withholding ratification pull in opposite directions, and Colombia's status also differs from Australia's completed ratification.
- C) "specifically," would make the second clause a sharper version of the first; not ratifying is a separate fact, not a detail of signing.
- D) "for example," needs the second clause to illustrate the first, and failing to ratify is no instance of signing.