"a means of" vs "a means to"

[divineacclivity]

Hi,

Would you please clarify the following doubt:
1. Bus is a means of public transport [correct]
2. He doesn't like his job. His job is just a means to an end for him
[I searched and found that this is an English idiom and it means "a means to achieve something else"]

Can there be any other correct usage of "a means to" as far as GMAT is concerned? thanks in advance.

[Willy]

Hi,

Would you please clarify the following doubt:
1. Bus is a means of public transport [correct]
2. He doesn't like his job. His job is just a means to an end for him
[I searched and found that this is an English idiom and it means "a means to achieve something else"]

Can there be any other correct usage of "a means to" as far as GMAT is concerned? thanks in advance.

On GMAT,

X as a means of Y --> X is a type of Y
X as a means to Y --> X is a method to achieve Y

[divineacclivity]

Cool, thank you. I'd add that to my notes.

[Willy]

Cool, thank you. I'd add that to my notes.

:)

P.S. - I am not sure why MGMAT staff has abandoned us in General Verbal Questions forum. (May be because of Holidays!) I am feeling homeless. I really miss experts comments. :(

Merry Christmas!

[tim]

we're back. happy new year!

actually, we push certain posts to the bottom of the queue when one student asks a disproportionate number of questions all at once. we want to be able to help as many different students as possible, and this post went unanswered because we had already answered several of the poster's other questions recently..

[Willy]

we're back. happy new year!

actually, we push certain posts to the bottom of the queue when one student asks a disproportionate number of questions all at once. we want to be able to help as many different students as possible, and this post went unanswered because we had already answered several of the poster's other questions recently..

Okay sir, I can understand your concerns.

BTW, Happy New Year, MGMAT Team! You guys are the BEST!!

[tim]

thanks!

[divineacclivity]

we're back. happy new year!

actually, we push certain posts to the bottom of the queue when one student asks a disproportionate number of questions all at once. we want to be able to help as many different students as possible, and this post went unanswered because we had already answered several of the poster's other questions recently..

Happy new year to you too.
Would you like to add your expert comments here please?

Also, do "thanks, smileys & answering other posters even if they're answered by a different poster" also count towards the number of posts that push the posts down in the queue? :)

Thanks.

[tim]

there's nothing to add; Willy did a pretty good job of explaining things..

and if you are thanking people or making small posts we won't keep from answering your questions. it's mostly when things get backed up if we see one person asking like a dozen questions we'll often answer just a few before moving on to other students' questions..

[BadidaA341]

Hi sir,
Can you please be a bit more elaborate the explanation for using "X a means of Y - X is a type of Y " I am unable to understand this statement X is a type of Y . Thank you in advance.

[RonPurewal]

hi,
that user is not a moderator/expert, so, be careful about placing too much credence in the content of that post.

also, don't forget—the questions in this folder need to be tied to examples from GMAT-related source material.

if this question IS related to an item you've seen in GMAT materials, then
...please search the forum for existing threads about that item;
...if you find an existing thread, please read through it first, and then post any questions that are still unanswered;
...if you don't find an existing thread, then post a new thread—in the appropriate folder, of course.

if this is a random question that's unrelated to GMAT materials, then, it is almost certainly irrelevant to the exam. be sure to keep your studies focused!