In Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the otherwise reticent

Question

In Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the otherwise reticent Captain Nemo treats his crew and other sailors  like his equals, conversing with them like they  were his longtime friends and confidants

A. like his equals, conversing with them like they 
B. like his equals, conversing with them as if they
C. as if they were his equals, conversing with them like they
D. as his equals, conversing with them like they
E. like his equals who

Blair15 · Answer

Has "like" been used correctly in this question? Can someone pls help?

DmitryFarber · Answer

I don't love it. The author uses both "like" and "as if" to mean the same thing, when "as if" is generally preferred. True, the GMAT has sometimes been loose with the usage of LIKE, but this is a stretch. In a way, though, it's a matter of meaning. If we say "as his equals," it implies that he treats them this way, regardless of whether they actually are his equals, or even whether he HAS any equals. If we say "like his equals," it implies that he does indeed have equals, and he is treating these people the way he treats those equals. It's not an impossible usage, but I don't see the reason for it.

cao123 · Answer

Why is it not C. for this question?

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  cao123 ,

We hope this finds you well.

To answer your query, Option C incorrectly uses “like” rather than “as” to compare the clauses “conversing with them” and “they were his longtime friends and confidants”.

We hope this helps.

All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Kushchokhani · Answer

DmitryFarber

"his equals" is a noun form, so "like" is correct usage here. "as" is used to compare actions.

ExpertsGlobal5 · Answer

Hello  Kushchokhani ,

We hope this finds you well.

To provide a bit of clarity here, in this sentence, the comparison is between how treats his crew and other sailors and how he would treat them if they were longtime friends and confidants; the comparison is between two actions, so the use of "as" is correct.

We hope this helps.
All the best!
Experts' Global Team

Kushchokhani · Answer

Is it that if option B would have "as" in place of "like", still it would have been correct choice?

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