What is the antonym to "strawberries?"

[Aelwydd]

I will explain the reason for asking. I just want to know what others here think the answer to this question is.

[Belacqua]

I'm voting Other: Green Bowling Ball Covered in Rubbing Alcohol (opposite of red, small, made by nature, irregularly shaped, sweet, a little dirty).

 

Now please explain yourself, Missy! :)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I had to vote "what the ..." After I looked up more about antonyms, I'm sticking with my answer.

[Laura Corin]

Strawberries are edible, roughly spherical, soft, natural, plant-based and plural. A single needle would be a good antonym. No, needles are too small. Perhaps a torpedo?

 

Laura

[Aelwydd]

Logical, all very logical. I promise a big reveal soon after gathering more data here.

[Plink]

I voted #$%! but if pushed I would say rocks.

 

Ever heard the phrase, "ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer?" I'm pretty sure that applies here.

[kitten18]

I voted Steaks because it was pretty close to my first thought which was BACON. :drool5:

 

 

 

 

If this is some kind of standardized test question I think my head might explode.

[Ellie]

:blink:

[LucyStoner]

Nonstrawberries.

[JudoMom]

Green bell pepper. It's bigger, squarer, greener, and the seeds are on the inside.

 

But my vote was ?!?#$?

[Kathryn]

I voted "what the...," but my first thought was "no strawberries." Waiting...

[Aelwydd]

kijipt, interesting.

 

I, myself, being a trekkie and all, immediately suspected mirror universe strawberries. You know...with the goatee and all that.

[Stacia]

An alternate-world strawberry? (Thinking quantum physics here....)

 

:ph34r: (Or how about ninja berries?)

[Tammi K]

Nonstrawberries.

 

I was going to go with 'anti-strawberry' but nonstrawberry works too.

[Stacia]

"Sometimes the more you think, the more there is no real answer." -- Winnie the Pooh

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/biggrin.gif

[nmoira]

Strawberries are a microcosm of all that is good in the world. Beets, all that is bad.

 

So, beets.

[PachiSusan]

Satan... Because Strawberries are all good!!!

[bobbeym]

I voted coconuts just because I could.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Strawberries are a microcosm of all that is good in the world. Beets, all that is bad.

 

So, beets.

Satan... Because Strawberries are all good!!!

 

The goodness of strawberries, that's subjective because of all the people who are allergic to strawberries. Goodness cannot be an attribute of strawberries, so when seeking an antonym it fails to just pick something bad.

[nmoira]

Satan... Because Strawberries are all good!!!

 

I was under the impression that Satan was a complicated guy, makes life interesting, at least according to Milton. And too many strawberries can have unpleasant effects...

[LucyStoner]

Satan... Because Strawberries are all good!!!

 

If god were strawberries, my church attendance would improve.

[nmoira]

See I find strawberries to be rather deceptive. They often look prettier than they taste. So the antonym might be honesty. Strawberries are not honest about their contents.

 

True, but I'm hesitant to call anything other than local, fresh, only-last-a-day strawberries, "strawberries." Maybe the rest ARE like Satan, gussied in the promise of something sweet. :p

[Aelwydd]

So the story behind the question goes like this:

(And don't anyone here act shocked or surprised or anything. Appalled is acceptable.)

 

So my nephew goes to an "Exemplary" rated elementary school. He is a third grader. Recently, he was sent home with an assignment to find the antonym to each word given in a list. The last word was "strawberries." He contemplated it, hemmed and hawed, and finally recruited my sister for help. Well, she was stumped, too.

 

Finally, she gave him her blessing for his response.

 

Which was as follows:

"Is there even an antonym to strawberries? That is like asking what the color green tastes like." (Yes, as a matter of fact, I am very proud of my nephew's grasp of reason.)

 

The assignment is returned with a curt note that Dear Nephew is incorrect, there is indeed an antonym, and it is..."vegetables."

 

o-0

 

My sister tried to explain the teacher's reasoning, but she just couldn't do it. So, she wrote a note next to it--meaning to research the concept of antonyms better--that vegetables is no more "opposed" to strawberries than "fruit."

 

My nephew decided to return the graded paper to his teacher (my sister didn't realize.) Today, both my sister AND her husband received curt messages from the teacher on their phones requesting a conference to explain to them the error of their ways, and how the word "vegetables" is actually the antonym to "strawberries."

 

My sister, nonplussed by this vehement defense, called me and asked my opinion. I promptly fell on the floor laughing, picked myself up, and told her, ignore the teacher, blow her off, because that will tick her off more than anything else.

 

She agreed, but she said BIL wants to return the call because he is non-confrontational and just wants to make nice. I said, I wouldn't do it, simply because this teacher probably attends goose-stepping aerobics for fun, and to engage her is to give her a platform and to basically reinforce her premise that SHE ACTUALLY HAS THE RIGHT TO CHASTISE THE PARENTS.

 

In the end, I don't know if they will talk to her or not. But I couldn't get over this oh-so-obvious example of how public school curricula is not designed so much as to educate, but to confuse, stymie, and ultimately drill into kids that it's not theirs to understand or to reason, but simply to ACCEPT and to OBEY.

 

Oh, BTW, this same teacher is "recommending" my nephew attend summer school, even though he has a "B" average in all his subjects, in order to keep him from "falling behind."

 

I call B.S. Just another attempt to control and break his little spirit. Poor kid. If he was mine, I would withdraw him without looking back and unschool him.

 

So that's it, the story of the strawberry antonym. I recommend putting this question to your kids and waiting for their entertaining answers!

[Belacqua]

An alternate-world strawberry? (Thinking quantum physics here....)

 

 

Must say, I really did not expect my Thursday morning to include a consideration of Schrodinger's Strawberry.

[creekland]

So the story behind the question goes like this:

 

(And don't anyone here act shocked or surprised or anything. Appalled is acceptable.)

 

 

So my nephew goes to an "Exemplary" rated elementary school. He is a third grader. Recently, he was sent home with an assignment to find the antonym to each word given in a list. The last word was "strawberries." He contemplated it, hemmed and hawed, and finally recruited my sister for help. Well, she was stumped, too.

 

Finally, she gave him her blessing for his response. Which was as follows:

 

"Is there even an antonym to strawberries? That is like asking what the color green tastes like." (Yes, as a matter of fact, I am very proud of my nephew's grasp of reason.)

 

The assignment is returned with a curt note that Dear Nephew is incorrect, there is indeed an antonym, and it is..."vegetables."

 

o-0

 

My sister tried to explain the teacher's reasoning, but she just couldn't do it. So, she wrote a note next to it--meaning to research the concept of antonyms better--that vegetables is no more "opposed" to strawberries than "fruit."

 

My nephew decided to return the graded paper to his teacher (my sister didn't realize.) Today, both my sister AND her husband received curt messages from the teacher on their phones requesting a conference to explain to them the error of their ways, and how the word "vegetables" is actually the antonym to "strawberries."

 

My sister, nonplussed by this vehement defense, called me and asked my opinion. I promptly fell on the floor laughing, picked myself up, and told her, ignore the teacher, blow her off, because that will tick her off more than anything else. She agreed, but she said BIL wants to return the call because he is non-confrontational and just wants to make nice.

 

I said, I wouldn't do it, simply because this teacher probably attends goose-stepping aerobics for fun, and to engage her is to give her a platform and to basically reinforce her premise that SHE ACTUALLY HAS THE RIGHT TO CHASTISE THE PARENTS.

 

In the end, I don't know if they will talk to her or not. But I couldn't get over this oh-so-obvious example of how public school curricula is not designed so much as to educate, but to confuse, stymie, and ultimately drill into kids that it's not theirs to understand or to reason, but simply to ACCEPT and to OBEY.

 

Oh, BTW, this same teacher is "recommending" my nephew attend summer school, even though he has a "B" average in all his subjects, in order to keep him from "falling behind."

 

I call B.S. Just another attempt to control and break his little spirit. Poor kid. If he was mine, I would withdraw him without looking back and unschool him.

 

So that's it, the story of the strawberry antonym. I recommend putting this question to your kids and waiting for their entertaining answers!

 

I hit the "like" button, but my true feeling is WOW! :huh: :confused1: :banghead:

 

I'd probably go for the conference, but I can be rather confrontational when I really disagree (very rare), so it likely wouldn't be pretty. That teacher neither understands fruits/vegetables nor antonyms... What, exactly, is she good at?

[nmoira]

So the story behind the question goes like this: (And don't anyone here act shocked or surprised or anything. Appalled is acceptable.)

 

Sorry, can't help.

 

Said in my best Keanu Reeves, "Whoa."

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Oho, now she wants to teach the parents about fruits and vegetables!

 

I might go, but only with a bucketful of tomatoes.

 

And pumpkins, green peppers, corn, and eggplant, but for the WOW factor and possibly throwing, the tomatoes top the list of fruits masquerading as vegetables (and in no way "opposite" of strawberries).

[SunnyDays]

Wow. My reaction would be the same... My son would no longer have her for a teacher.

 

If they do attend the conference though, I'm *dying* to hear her "logic" for this. :D

[mo2]

So the story behind the question goes like this:

(And don't anyone here act shocked or surprised or anything. Appalled is acceptable.)

 

So my nephew goes to an "Exemplary" rated elementary school. He is a third grader. Recently, he was sent home with an assignment to find the antonym to each word given in a list. The last word was "strawberries." He contemplated it, hemmed and hawed, and finally recruited my sister for help. Well, she was stumped, too.

 

Finally, she gave him her blessing for his response.

 

Which was as follows:

"Is there even an antonym to strawberries? That is like asking what the color green tastes like." (Yes, as a matter of fact, I am very proud of my nephew's grasp of reason.)

 

The assignment is returned with a curt note that Dear Nephew is incorrect, there is indeed an antonym, and it is..."vegetables."

 

o-0

 

My sister tried to explain the teacher's reasoning, but she just couldn't do it. So, she wrote a note next to it--meaning to research the concept of antonyms better--that vegetables is no more "opposed" to strawberries than "fruit."

 

My nephew decided to return the graded paper to his teacher (my sister didn't realize.) Today, both my sister AND her husband received curt messages from the teacher on their phones requesting a conference to explain to them the error of their ways, and how the word "vegetables" is actually the antonym to "strawberries."

 

My sister, nonplussed by this vehement defense, called me and asked my opinion. I promptly fell on the floor laughing, picked myself up, and told her, ignore the teacher, blow her off, because that will tick her off more than anything else.

 

She agreed, but she said BIL wants to return the call because he is non-confrontational and just wants to make nice. I said, I wouldn't do it, simply because this teacher probably attends goose-stepping aerobics for fun, and to engage her is to give her a platform and to basically reinforce her premise that SHE ACTUALLY HAS THE RIGHT TO CHASTISE THE PARENTS.

 

In the end, I don't know if they will talk to her or not. But I couldn't get over this oh-so-obvious example of how public school curricula is not designed so much as to educate, but to confuse, stymie, and ultimately drill into kids that it's not theirs to understand or to reason, but simply to ACCEPT and to OBEY.

 

Oh, BTW, this same teacher is "recommending" my nephew attend summer school, even though he has a "B" average in all his subjects, in order to keep him from "falling behind."

 

I call B.S. Just another attempt to control and break his little spirit. Poor kid. If he was mine, I would withdraw him without looking back and unschool him.

 

So that's it, the story of the strawberry antonym. I recommend putting this question to your kids and waiting for their entertaining answers!

 

Huh? I would totally meet with the teacher, taking with me a dictionary to provider her with the definitions of both antonym AND strawberry. "Obviously, Mrs Blank, you are confused on the meaning of one of the words. Let's clear this up so you don't embarrass yourself further in front of your students."

[Aelwydd]

 

That teacher neither understands fruits/vegetables nor antonyms... What, exactly, is she good at?

 

 

I figured her strengths must lie in synonyms. As in, a synonym for this teacher's lesson would be...

 

 

--BLEEP--

 

 

Stupid censors.

[FaithManor]

The update makes my brain hurt.

 

I voted "What the" because the illogical premise of the question made my brain contemplate parallel universes, quantum mechanics, and string theory in order to look for a plausible answer. One.cannot.be.found. Therefore, the universe is against such a question.

 

I would like to amend my answer however taking into the account the general characteristics of a strawberry. It is a fruit, generally considered healthy for children.

 

The antonym is the teacher....a fruit that one must consider to be unhealthy for children.

 

Faith

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Oh, I've got it. Maybe she's thinking about strawberries being an "accessory" fruit, and the opposite would be fruits with seeds on the inside, like the aforementioned vegetables-which-are-really-fruits.

 

But in that case, the options should have been more specific.

 

Does she even know what an "achene" is? I doubt it.

 

I think she's just unqualified for her position.

[HRAAB]

Asked my 12 yr old. Answer: what kind of question is that, it's ridiculous. Then she said it would have to be vegetable or a liquid, probably carrot juice. Her twin refused to answer because there is no answer. :lol:

[JudoMom]

Wow. My reaction would be the same... My son would no longer have her for a teacher.

 

If they do attend the conference though, I'm *dying* to hear her "logic" for this. :D

 

 

Yes. Tell them you've involved us, and it is now their civic duty to let us know what that teacher is thinking. And I dare them to take some chocolate covered berries to snack on during the meeting.

[bolt.]

OK -- that's dumb!

 

Things strawberries and vegetables have in common:

- living thing

- plant life (= vegetation, by the way!)

- edible and nutritive

- general approximate size

- same food group on many publications

- some vegetables share detailed characteristcs with strawberries, such as the same colour, shape, seed size, etc.

- both are presented in the plural

 

Things that differ:

- S is one kind of thing, V is a category noun

- Strawberries are sweeter than many vegetables commonly consumed directly by N. Amercans (not counting sugar beets, sugar cane, corn-for-syrup... Or is that a grain?)

- You wouldn't normally put whipped cream on most vegetables (except rhubarb)

 

What d'y'think? Antonyms?

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Faith! :smilielol5:

[Arcadia]

So that's it, the story of the strawberry antonym. I recommend putting this question to your kids and waiting for their entertaining answers!

 

:laugh: My 8 year old said "anti-strawberries"

My strawberries loving 7 year old said "There is no such thing as anti-strawberries. The opposite of strawberries is nothing"

My hubby would have just said "make sure you teach our kids what is the correct meaning for antonym"

[Forget-Me-Not]

An alternate-world strawberry? (Thinking quantum physics here....)

 

:ph34r: (Or how about ninja berries?)

 

 

Schrodinger's strawberries? :D

[Kathryn]

I'd tell her that I'll come for that conference, in front of the school board, while she explains how someone with so little understanding of very basic vocabulary is qualified to teach young children.

[justasque]

OK so clearly the teacher does not do well on standardized tests. Because "vegetables" would be the answer you at first think has some merit, before you read the rest of the answers and find the "better fit" one. Woe betide those who bubble in "vegetables" without reading the other options!

 

This reminds me of the discussion I had with a PS teacher over a math placement test, regarding a child who knew perfectly well what "addition is commutative" meant, but did not know not that the dumbed-down, made-up term specific to a particular curriculum he hadn't used was supposed to mean "commutative". I should have pulled him out Right. Then. and saved us a lot of stress.

[Aelwydd]

Oh, I've got it. Maybe she's thinking about strawberries being an "accessory" fruit, and the opposite would be fruits with seeds on the inside, like the aforementioned vegetables-which-are-really-fruits.

 

But in that case, the options should have been more specific.

 

Does she even know what an "achene" is? I doubt it.

 

I think she's just unqualified for her position.

 

 

 

She didn't give any hints or options. It was an open-ended question.

 

I liken the question to identifying the anti-Christ. Endless possibilities, even after you disqualify the fruits and nuts.

 

I say that teacher sounds "off" enough that the psychs have her number on speed-dial. Unfortunately, the prognosis is dim.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Am I the only one who went to Synonym.com to the antonym finder to punch in 'strawberries'? The computer could not give me an answer. So there. That proves there is no antonym for strawberries.

[Aelwydd]

I am loving the kids' answers to this question. From the mouths of babes!

[Kathryn]

I just asked DS7, he burst out laughing and said "what are you talking about" and walked away.

[*Lulu*]

Me: So what is an antonym for strawberry

 

Sister: huh?

 

Punk: Mom, are you trying to trick us or something?

 

Bug: Can we have strawberries?

 

Me: No, we don't have any today.

 

Bug: Oh. Too bad, I like strawberries.

[Arcadia]

Am I the only one who went to Synonym.com to the antonym finder to punch in 'strawberries'? The computer could not give me an answer. So there. That proves there is no antonym for strawberries.

 

You tempted me to check. The result is really funny from http://thesaurus.com/browse/strawberry.

"strawberry

Main Entry: blond/blonde

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: having light-colored hair

Synonyms: albino, auricomous, bleached, champagne, fair, fair-haired, flaxen, golden-haired, light, pale, pearly, platinum, sallow, sandy-haired, snowy, straw, strawberry , towheaded, washed-out, yellow-haired

Antonyms: brunet, brunette"

[Aelwydd]

**UPDATE**

 

 

My sister just texted me that her dh did call the teacher back. She told him, "The point of the homework exercise was just to discuss antonyms and that the point of the exercise wasn't to get the right answer."

 

My sister reasonably objected: So why did my son's answer get marked as incorrect? Why did you write something down as the "correct answer" if the point is just to discuss it?

 

The teacher said, oh the grades don't count. The assignment is just for discussion!

 

 

(Discussion of antonyms, which apparently includes irrational questions provided with even more irrational answers from the teacher.)

 

Did I mention this is third grade?

 

 

I asked my sister, purely as a matter of scientific curiosity, how she was able to prevent her eyeballs from rolling out of her head?

[*Lulu*]

**UPDATE**

 

 

My sister just texted me that her dh did call the teacher back. She told him, "The point of the homework exercise was just to discuss antonyms and that the point of the exercise wasn't to get the right answer."

 

My sister reasonably objected: So why did my son's answer get marked as incorrect? Why did you write something down as the "correct answer" if the point is just to discuss it?

 

The teacher said, oh the grades don't count. The assignment is just for discussion!

 

 

(Discussion of antonyms, which apparently includes irrational questions provided with even more irrational answers from the teacher.)

 

Did I mention this is third grade?

 

 

I asked my sister, purely as a matter of scientific curiosity, how she was able to prevent her eyeballs from rolling out of her head?

 

 

 

The mental gymnastics required to follow the teacher's reasoning is staggering.

 

I'm pretty sure I burned enough calories to drink the glass of wine I now feel the need to consume.

[PachiSusan]

I think I just broke my brain trying to follow her logic.

 

You don't DO things like that with 3rd graders. They're still in the "compliant want to please the teacher" stage and they want a "RIGHT" answer, not some nebulous mamby pamby "we were just discussing" crap.

 

I read this to my husband and he said, "And people wonder why we want to home school..." and walked away.

 

**UPDATE**

 

 

My sister just texted me that her dh did call the teacher back. She told him, "The point of the homework exercise was just to discuss antonyms and that the point of the exercise wasn't to get the right answer."

 

My sister reasonably objected: So why did my son's answer get marked as incorrect? Why did you write something down as the "correct answer" if the point is just to discuss it?

 

The teacher said, oh the grades don't count. The assignment is just for discussion!

 

 

(Discussion of antonyms, which apparently includes irrational questions provided with even more irrational answers from the teacher.)

 

Did I mention this is third grade?

 

 

I asked my sister, purely as a matter of scientific curiosity, how she was able to prevent her eyeballs from rolling out of her head?

 

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I'd bring her a copy of Roget's Thesaurus and tell her that if she'd like to have a discussion about antonyms, to use some words that actually have antonyms!