The transitional phrase in <em>In the hope that I would get a better grade, I found myself studying much more often than I normally do</em> is a. In the hope that.
Explanation:
<u>Transitional words or phrases</u> are those used to create links between ideas, to connect one idea to the next one. These words or phrases are very useful in writing to establish different types of connections between ideas, such as time, exemplification, place, contrast or purpose, like in this case: the phrase <em>in the hope that</em> introduces the objective the writer had when studying much more than he usually did.
A major difference between these men is the rational "from the ground on up" ethic of Franklin and the "one big plan" of the fictional Crane." In Irving's Rip Van Winkle, we find a much more giving character that is much less interested in the highlights of society than our other two characters