Hi, manasgoswami1,

Here's some quick 'n' dirty info:

1) Never use "like" to introduce a clause that contains a verb:

"She acted like she was upset."

Instead, go for "She acted as if/though she were upset." The first sentence is OK in informal English, but NOT on the GMAT. :mrgreen:

2) When "like/as" is followed by a noun phrase (i.e., with no verb), "like" is generally more common. "Like" means "in the manner/style of." For instance, Madonna's song "Like a Virgin." Could you imagine it being titled "As a Virgin"?

3) Use "as" when you mean something literally. For instance, "he acted as a translator." He was not acting like a translator--he was actually serving in the capacity of a translator.

As for your second question, I'd have to think about it. At the moment, I can't really come up with any hard and fast rules concerning "even though" vs. "although." The matter often comes down to style and intuition. However, I do think that "although" is less common at the end of a sentence than "even though."

Anyway, good questions. One's ultimate goal with these SC questions should not be merely to do well on the GMAT (farther down the road, most people probably don't even remember or care what they made on the GMAT ), but to develop forceful, correct English, a skill that will help you in the business world and beyond. In fact, learning good English can actually be a lot of fun!