Like ? In a clause with a verb ?

The OA should be A or E...

I agree with B. Here, the phrase "moving mysteriously from..." describes pearls, so that phrase is a kind of 'adjective'.

Hence, comparison is rightly done using 'like' between 'jumping genes' and 'moving pearls'

(A) as pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another
AS PEARLS MOVE would have been a correct usage of AS
but here a noun PEARLS is being compared to GENES and hence LIKE is correct
MOVING MYSTERIOUSLY FROM .... participle phrase for an analogy of the way the genes move around
(B) like pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another
CORRECT
(C) as pearls do that move mysteriously from one necklace to others
AS PEARLS DO is correct but THAT is incorrect because THAT cannot restrict
the action DO of pearls
(D) like pearls do that move mysteriously from one necklace to others
LIKE PEARLS DO is incorrect since LIKE cannot modify a clause "pearls do"
(E) as do pearls that move mysteriously from one necklace to some other one

AS has to be followed by the noun/pronoun performing the clause

A great question to dispel so many doubts . Kudos to the one who posted it and Kudos to many other who explained it so beautifully.

B we are comparing necklace moving to pearls
use like in similar in behavior or comparing nouns
clearly like win

Any one of the reason can be used to pick the correct choice B.

1) the sentence does not express a reality
2) word following as/like is 'pearls' - noun
3) there is no clause immediately following as/like.

Can some1 explain it a bit more

many thanks

Like - used to compare two nouns. As - used to compare two clauses.
In D do incorrectly used here. Correct ans. B
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I am responding to a p.m. from venmic, vvho vvrote: "The correct ansvver to this one is C not B." I am sorry to differ, but the correct ansvver is B

Idea #1
"like" is used for nouns only, to compare a noun to a noun
"as" introduces a full clause, that must have a full noun + verb structure
See these blog post:
http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-sente ... ike-vs-as/
http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/gmat-sente ... omparison/

Idea #2
DO NOT confuse a [noun + participle] structure for a full [noun + verb] structure. This is a very common mistake, the GMAT loves to catch folks in it.
A participle is a verb form, but it's not acting as a verb in the sentence --- rather, it's acting as a noun modifier.
See this blog:
http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/participle ... -the-gmat/

The phrase "pearls moving mysteriously from one necklace to another" is not a full [noun + verb] clause --- it would not stand on it's own as a sentence. Rather, it's simply a noun plus a long noun modifier. All we have is the noun and stuff decorating the noun, so "as" is incorrect, and "like" is correct. That's why (A) is wrong and (B) is right.

Once we have the words "pearls do", that's a noun + verb, a clause all on its own --- then "like" is wrong: this is why (D) is wrong. Choices (C) & (E) have the correct word "as" followed by a full clause --- they avoid the "as"/"like" mistake. BUT, (C) & (E) are wordier, less polished, less elegant, more awkward. (B) is much more sleek and efficient, which makes (B) the correct answer.

Does all that make sense?

Mike
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Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test Prep

It's funny --- that question doesn't have a clear precise mathematical answer. In the big picture, in the overall logic of the sentence and of the larger argument, we are drawing an analogy between genes jumping and pearls moving, between the two actions, but when we use the construction "...like pearls ...", as in the correct answer (B), then the literal grammatical comparison is between genes and pearls, the two nouns.

Does that make sense?

Mike
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Mike McGarry
Magoosh Test Prep