ニューヨーク州やその他の州の中学生の標準テストに出題された文章題。
考えれば考えるほど答えに悩む・・・。
文章題のあらすじは：
まだ動物も植物も話すことができた大昔、パイナップルがうさぎにかけっこを挑みました。
他の動物達は動くことができないパイナップルが勝つと賭けました。と言うのも、わざわざ挑戦するのだから、絶対に勝てる秘密がなにかあるに違いないと思うのです。
ところが掛けっこが始まると、パイナップルは動けずウサギの勝ち。動物達はパイナップルを食べてしまいましたとさ。
続く幾つかの設問の中でも話題を読んでいるのは、
- なぜ動物たちはパイナップルを食べたのでしょう？
- 一番賢いことを言った動物は？
この問題が出題されたテストを受けた生徒の声が載っていました。なかなか面白いです。
（ちなみに上記リンクから行けるギズモドの記事にある問題の訳は下記の原文とはかなり違いますし、「パイナップルには袖がないし」と言ったのはフクロウなのにヘラジカになってます。一部を変えた他州の問題を訳してあるのかも。
原文は下記の通り。
The Hare and the Pineapple
by Daniel Pinkwater
In olden times, the animals of the forest could speak English just like you and me. One day, a pineapple challenged a hare to a race.
In olden times, the animals of the forest could speak English just like you and me. One day, a pineapple challenged a hare to a race.
(I forgot to mention, fruits and vegetables were able to speak too.)
A hare is like a rabbit, only skinnier and faster. This particular hare was known to be the fastest animal in the forest.
“You, a pineapple have the nerve to challenge me, a hare, to a race,” the hare asked the pineapple. “This must be some sort of joke.”
“No,” said the pineapple. “I want to race you. Twenty-six miles, and may the best animal win."
"You aren't even an animal!" the hare said. “You're a tropical fruit!"
"You aren't even an animal!" the hare said. “You're a tropical fruit!"
“Well, you know what I mean,” the pineapple said.
The animals of the forest thought it was very strange that tropical fruit should want to race a very fast animal.
"The pineapple has some trick up its sleeve," a moose said.
Pineapples don't have sleeves, an owl said
"Well, you know what I mean,” the moose said. "If a pineapple challenges a hare to a race, it must be that the pineapple knows some secret trick that will allow it to win.”
“The pineapple probably expects us to root for the hare and then look like fools when it loses,” said a crow. “Then the pineapple will win the race because the hare is overconfident and takes a nap, or gets lost, or something.”
The animals agreed that this made sense. There was no reason a pineapple should challenge a hare unless it had a clever plan of some sort. So the animals, wanting to back a winner, all cheered for the pineapple.
When the race began, the hare sprinted forward and was out of sight in less than a minute. The pineapple just sat there, never moving an inch.
The animals crowded around watching to see how the pineapple was going to cleverly beat the hare. Two hours later when the hare cross the finish line, the pineapple was still sitting still and hadn't moved an inch.
The animals ate the pineapple.
MORAL: Pineapples don't have sleeves
MORAL: Pineapples don't have sleeves
The animals ate the pineapple most likely because they were
A Hungry
B Excited
C Annoyed
D Amused
Which animal spoke the wisest words?
Which animal spoke the wisest words?
A The hare
B The moose
C The crow
D The owl
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