Explanation
Creating a filter: we have a comparison in the original
sentence, as is signaled by the word "like," so we must examine it. In general,
the word "like" most exactly is employed to compare things and their
characteristics, while the word "as" compares how things are done. In this
sentence, the proper usage is the word "as," because we are not comparing the
characteristics of things, but rather the way
a suite of similar products is critical in both one industry and others.
Applying the filter: we are left with all answer choices
other than (A). All the other answer choices use "as." One difference among
them is their treatment of prepositions. Often
in Sentence Correction questions, one preposition is required over another not
because of general usage rules, but because parallelism in the sentence
requires the use of a particular pronoun. In other words, we must not stare
at the answer choices and keep repeating "in other industries" and "for other
industries" in our mind's ear, wondering which is better in isolation. Rather,
the best one is determined by parallelism with the prior part of the sentence.
Namely, the product suite is critical for the automotive industry as it
is for other industries. Answer choice (E), therefore, is the only valid
option. If we were to write this sentence, we might have reasons to use the
preposition "in," but without being able to change the non-underlined portion
of the sentence, that option is barred to us here. The correct answer is (E).
If you believe you have found an error in this question or explanation, please contact us and include the question title or URL in your message.