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(IDIOM) Two out of every five marathon runners...

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by giovanni.gastone » Sat Apr 09, 2011 7:49 am
SOURCE: PrincetonReview

Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

A. Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

B. Out of every five, two marathon runners in the United States also swims as a means of staying fit.

C. Swimming is used as a means of staying fit by two out of every five marathon runners in the United States.

D. In the United States, two out of every five marathon runners also swims as a means of staying fit.

E. Out of every five marathon runners in the United States, swimming is also used by two as a means of staying fit.

OA: A
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by giovanni.gastone » Sat Apr 09, 2011 7:51 am
Their official explanation is:

"This answer choice is concise, idiomatic, and maintains subject-verb agreement. The correct answer is A."

I thought the correct idiom is "means TO", and that "means OF" and "means FOR" were wrong?

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by aspirant2011 » Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:32 am
Hi Gio,

Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

A. Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

B. Out of every five, two marathon runners in the United States also swims as a means of staying fit.

C. Swimming is used as a means of staying fit by two out of every five marathon runners in the United States.

D. In the United States, two out of every five marathon runners also swims as a means of staying fit.

E. Out of every five marathon runners in the United States, swimming is also used by two as a means of staying fit.

Can anyone tell me whether I am correct in rejecting C because of

1. its passive
2. it changes the intended meaning
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by atulmangal » Sat Apr 09, 2011 12:22 pm
aspirant2011 wrote:Hi Gio,

Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

A. Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

B. Out of every five, two marathon runners in the United States also swims as a means of staying fit.

C. Swimming is used as a means of staying fit by two out of every five marathon runners in the United States.

D. In the United States, two out of every five marathon runners also swims as a means of staying fit.

E. Out of every five marathon runners in the United States, swimming is also used by two as a means of staying fit.

Can anyone tell me whether I am correct in rejecting C because of

1. its passive
2. it changes the intended meaning
Yes Op C is unclear as its in passive but i think you are wrong in your reasoning about Op B..it should be

Out of every five, two marathon runners in the United States also swims as a means of staying fit.
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by giovanni.gastone » Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:04 pm
That's correct; the voice in C is passive and less preferred. So, does anyone know whether the correct idiom is "a means TO" or "a means OF"?
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by atulmangal » Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:33 pm
giovanni.gastone wrote:That's correct; the voice in C is passive and less preferred. So, does anyone know whether the correct idiom is "a means TO" or "a means OF"?
Manhattan SC guide page 160

RIGHT:- Music education is A MEANS TO improved cognition.

WRONG:- Music education is A MEANS FOR improved cognition.

A MEANS TO is CORRECT IDIOM

I think you should pm Mitch, GmatguruNY regarding this problem. He is from PrincetonReview i guess.

Thanks
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by singh181 » Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:11 pm
I think "as a Means to" and "as a means of" both are correct.
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by GMATGuruNY » Sun Apr 10, 2011 4:40 am
giovanni.gastone wrote:SOURCE: PrincetonReview

Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

A. Two out of every five marathon runners in the United States also swim as a means of staying fit.

B. Out of every five, two marathon runners in the United States also swims as a means of staying fit.

C. Swimming is used as a means of staying fit by two out of every five marathon runners in the United States.

D. In the United States, two out of every five marathon runners also swims as a means of staying fit.

E. Out of every five marathon runners in the United States, swimming is also used by two as a means of staying fit.

OA: A
In B and D, swims (singular) does not agree with the subject two (plural). Eliminate B and D.

In E, out of every five incorrectly modifies swimming.

In C, the omission of also changes the meaning. The intended meaning of the sentence is that those who run also swim. Eliminate C.

The correct answer is A.

A means of + gerund (as in a means of staying fit) is quite common in everyday speech. I suspect, however, that the GMAT writers would prefer a means + infinitive (as in a means to stay fit).
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