Combining enormous physical strength with higher intelligence, the Nea

Combining enormous physical strength with higher intelligence,the neanderthals appear as equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path,but their relatively sudden disappearnce during the paleolithic era indicates that an inability to adapt to some environmental change led o their extinction.

NOTE : This question gives us a BIG TAKEAWAY, never miss the non-underlined part. Read the complete sentence. Because here from the non-underlined part we come to know about the TENSE of the sentence, which helps in choosing between appear VS appeared!

(A) appear as equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path
(B) appear to have been equipped to face any obstacle the environment could put in their path,
(C) appear as equipped to face any obstacle the environment could put in their paths,
(D) appeared as equipped to face any obstacle the environment could put in their path,
(E) appeared to have been equipped for facing any obstacle the environment could put in their path,

ANALYSING THE ERRORS IN THE ORIGINAL SENTENCE :

1. equipped to VERB VS equipped for VERBING
Equipped To VERB -- IDIOMATIC USAGE
Equipped For VERBING -- NON IDIOMATIC USAGE

2. appear as equipped VS appeared as equipped VS appear to have been equipped
Appear as equipped -- it implies as if neanderthals right now appear as equipped. However, as per the intended meaning of the sentence neanderthals are extinct now. INCORRECT
Appear to have been equipped -- when we say that Neanderthals appear to have been equipped, we do not mean that neanderthals are equipped right now. They were equipped sometime in the past. However, this fact is what appears to us now.
Appeared as equipped -- The use of simple present ‘indicates’ in the second independent clause indicates that the sentence is talking about the present. Therefore, we need simple present “appear” as the verb, instead of “appeared”. Logically also, the sentence seems to say that it ‘appears’ that Neanderthals were equipped. It doesn’t seem to say that it so appeared in the past but not now.

3. PATH vs PATHS
As we are talking of a single obstacle, so we must be talking of a single path and not multiple paths. Therefore, usage of "path" is logical.

After POE, only choice B remains.