Teachers in this country have generally been trained either

Question

Teachers in this country have generally been trained either  to approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles  without truly understanding how to apply them. 

A> to approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles 
B> to approach mathematics like a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles 
C> to approach mathematics as a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles 
D> that they should approach mathematics as a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles 
E> that they should approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles 

I narrowed down the answer to either B or C. But the OA is C. So now the question is why is 'as' the correct word for comparison?

bmwhype2 · Answer

like is a tricky word. it can mean  similar to  or used in  a direct comparison.

dwivedys · Answer

like is used to compare nouns not actions. C is right.

r019h · Answer

I would narrow to C & E and go for C since E is wordier.
Is there a better reason for eliminating E besides the fact that C is more concise?

empty_spaces · Answer

I think in "E" the use of should is wrong because "should" means that teachers are bound to do something which doesn't sound right.

Also, E uses "Like" instead of "as"

ashkrs · Answer

Teachers in this country have generally been trained either  to approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles  without truly understanding how to apply them. 

A> to approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles 
B> to approach mathematics like a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles 
C> to approach mathematics as a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles 
D> that they should approach mathematics as a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles 
E> that they should approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles 

I narrowed down the answer to either B or C. But the OA is C. So now the question is why is 'as' the correct word for comparison? 

Well D E should be eliminated because either that is correct idiom. Between B and C , C should be obvious choice because use of "like" is not correct usage here.

asaf · Answer

Not sure if this always stands. I think its a context of a sentence that decides what suits our needs.

Unlike creative activities, destructive activities will be marked as negative in your recommendation letters (or whatever just making a point here).

Teachers in this country have generally been trained either to approach mathematics <to> without truly understanding how to apply them. 

Agree with rest. C.

nivedb · Answer

Two incompatible things are to compared mathematics with creative activity. so as is correct. Maths can be treated as a creative activity.

Teachers in this country have generally been trained either

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