Instead of vs rather than

Question

Hi experts

I understand the difference between instead of and rather than and in many blogs I have read that GMAT hardly ever favors "instead of" when an option with "rather than" is present. 
Is there any validity to this? Can we blindly eliminate an answer choice with "instead of" when another answer choice (without any errors) is present using "rather than"?

Also, if yes, is this because "instead of" can only put nouns in parallel, but "rather than" can put nouns or verbs or entire actions in parallel; hence whatever "instead of" can contrast "rather than" can too.

ccooley · Answer

In the 2018 OG (the most recent one I have in an easily searchable form), there's only one SC problem that uses "instead of." In that problem, the answer that uses "instead of" is incorrect, but "instead of" isn't even mentioned in the official explanation. Based on this, I don't think we have enough evidence to blindly eliminate any answer that says "instead of."

This is true. In the phrase "instead of," the word "of" is a preposition. Prepositions, like "with," "on," and "of," can only be followed by a noun. (Or a gerund, which is an 'ing' verb acting as a noun.) So, if you see a problem where 'instead of' is followed by something other than a noun or a gerund, that sentence is incorrect and you can eliminate the answer choice. For example, the sentence "He walks instead of rides his bicycle" is incorrect, since "rides his bicycle" is not a noun.

Instead of vs rather than

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