<p>From the Jan 2013 q&a:</p>
<p>A giant otter reclining on a riverside log is as regal, and as spellbinding, (as that of) any cheetah or tiger.</p>
<p>(A) as that of
(E) as</p>
<p>The correct answer is (E), which leaves me very confused. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the gerund "reclining" the subject of the sentence? Then by fair comparision shouldn't (A) be correct?</p>
<p>the subject is the giant otter. if the subject is reclining, the expression should be ‘the reclining of the giant otter’</p>
<p>I disagree. If otter is the subject, then it should be phrased as “Reclining on a riverside log, a giant otter…”. I see no problem with “reclining” as the subject. A more common sense way to think of it is to see “A giant otter reclining on a riverside” as the subject. If “otter” is the subject, then how can you explain what part of speech is “reclining on a riverside log”?</p>
<p>The subject is indeed A giant otter</p>
<p>Look the sentence in this way, </p>
<p>A giant otter ( reclining on a riverside log ) is as regal, and as spellbinding, (as that of) any cheetah or tiger.</p>
<p>So the core sentence is " A giant otter is as regal, and as spellbinding, as any cheetah or tiger. "</p>
<p>Pfft. I immediately realised my big mistake after posting my last post: “reclining on a riverside log” is a participial phrase, not a gerund. Now the problem makes perfect sense. Thanks guys. XD</p>