simple past vs past perfect

[madhukara77]

Hello Experts -

Just for my understanding - please let me know, - What is the difference between these sentences -

Option 1 - Mr X appear as he was equipped to face any obstacle the opponent could put in his path.

Option 2 - Mr X appear to have been equipped to face any obstacle the opponent could put in his path.

Option 3 - Mr X appear to be equipped to face any obstacle the opponent could put in his path.

My understanding -
Option 1 is saying , Mr X was equipped with something in past. He is not equipped with that thing now. This complete fact is evident now (appear is in present tense)

Option 2 is saying Mr X was equipped in past and he is equipped currently as well. (Part perfect). This complete fact is evident now (appear is in present tense)

Option 3 is saying Mr X is currently equipped with something. (equipped is not having any verb , it acts as a modifier here).This complete fact is evident now (appear is in present tense)

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

There are lots of idioms surrounding the verb 'appear' (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/appear) but some are:
to appear adjective e.g. She appears tall.
to appear to verb e.g. She appears to like apples.
However, 'appeared as he was equipped' is not a correct idiom (option 1).

Options 2 and 3 seem to have very similar meanings. I wouldn't expect GMAT to expect you to distinguish between so subtle a meaning issue. As for modifiers and verbs, both 'to be equipped' and 'to have been equipped' are actually infinitives. In option 2 'to have been equipped' emphasizes that the equipping took place in the past. As you say, it implies that Mr. X is still equipped now. Option 3 simply tells us that now Mr. X is equipped.

A more pressing issue is that all the sentences should be 'Mr X appears or appeared...'

[madhukara77]

Thanks for the explanation Sage. Yes - I realized "appear as" is incorrect in option 1 , however as per my understanding , "appear as" can be used correctly if it is followed by a noun and we saying - "Something is literally visible as something".

Example : (Correct)
The star appears as bulb.

Example (Incorrect)
The person appears as a thief. (We should be using appear to be here)

Please let me know, if my understanding is correct.

[Sage Pearce-Higgins]

Absolutely, that's an idiom I didn't list, but it's a valid one. I guess the most common example would be about an actor: we could say that Colin Firth appeared as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Thanks for pointing that out.