Such orb-weaving spiders like the argiope

[RonPurewal]

incidentally, even if you are thinking about meaning, you should reach the same conclusion anyway.

'the argiope' is only one kind of spider, but we are not talking only about the argiope.
rather, we are talking about 'such spiders as the argiope'—a group that, clearly, contains the argiope and other spiders, too.

so, even if you are thinking about nothing other than meaning, you should still realize that the subject is plural.

[AnupamaW260]

incidentally, even if you are thinking about meaning, you should reach the same conclusion anyway.

'the argiope' is only one kind of spider, but we are not talking only about the argiope.
rather, we are talking about 'such spiders as the argiope'—a group that, clearly, contains the argiope and other spiders, too.

so, even if you are thinking about nothing other than meaning, you should still realize that the subject is plural.

Hello Sir
Thanks you so much. I was confused for a while, when I saw this answer choice.
Now it is all clear.

Regards ~

[DiJ92]

Dear Ron,

I want to make sure whether or not in choice E "build webs as essentially wheel like" is right. I think it is incorrect because of the incorrect idiom. Am I right?

Thanks in advance.

[RonPurewal]

correct, that's not a valid usage.

the use of 'as' is not automatically wrong, though—i.e., you can't just memorize this as an 'incorrect form'.

e.g., the following sentence is perfectly respectable:
Some spiders build webs as a means of trapping their prey.
note the context here: 'as' is followed by the role played by the webs. that's not happening in choice E, so choice E uses this construction in a way that's ultimately nonsense.