you are not comparing nouns. you are comparing actions ..... therefore "as" is required.
Read the sentence like this :

The paintings of Georges de la Tour reflect an almost sensuous fascination with the properties of light much as Vermeer's [paintings reflect] do.

Bidisha800 wrote:you are not comparing nouns. you are comparing actions ..... therefore "as" is required.
Read the sentence like this :

The paintings of Georges de la Tour reflect an almost sensuous fascination with the properties of light much as Vermeer's [paintings reflect] do.

Can you explain why "C" is incorrect?

Thanks.

@skyline77

Here, the comparison is between the paintings where option C is comparing "paintings with a person." Hence, you can eliminate C.

C) much as Vermeer did.

You can rewrite the sentence with the option C

The paintings of Georges de la Tour ---------- much as Vermeer did.

So, now you can see the what is actually comparing with option C.
Now,you can understand the explanation of @Bidisha800.

it is simple:

"did" in c implies past tense, whereas subject's action (reflect) is presented in present tense

as Bidisha800 said... actions are compared... thus "as" is used...


Paintings are not compared but what they "reflect" is being compared...


thanks.