Maryam, the girl in my neighbourhood, treats people as if she … better than they are.

Analyze the question

The sentence uses "as if", which introduces a comparison with something unreal or imagined. Maryam isn't actually better than others; she only behaves as though she were. So we need the correct verb form for this kind of situation.

Explain the concept: the subjunctive mood

After "as if" or "as though" (describing an unreal or hypothetical situation), formal English uses the past subjunctive. For the verb "to be", this is were for all subjects, including I, he, she, it.

Examples:

• He talks as if he were the boss. (He is not the boss.)
• She behaves as though she were a queen.
• If I were you, I would study harder.

Show the solution

1. Sentence: "Maryam treats people as if she ___ better than they are."
2. "As if" signals an unreal or contrary-to-fact situation.
3. Unreal situation → subjunctive → were.
4. Check the options: • A. has better than they are is ungrammatical. • B. were is the correct subjunctive form. • C. is states a fact, not an imagined situation. • D. was is acceptable in casual speech, but formal exam English requires were for the subjunctive.

Answer: B (were)

Exam tip

When you see "as if", "as though", or "if only" describing something untrue, pick were. Remember: "Unreal situation? Use were."