I confidently chose all options except butterfly and other, completely forgetting about the side-stroke.
The side-stroke and the breast stroke seem, to me, to be very easily learn-able. Almost instinctive.
I never could complete more than two or three butterfly strokes, try as I might.
mmm
It is relaxed, and also moderately powerful. I feel it is by far the best stroke for recreational swimming.
Sidestroke is one of the strokes what they taught us in scouts for the Swimming merit badge. The instructors claimed it was the least tiring and therefore the one to use if you get separated from your boat in the middle of a large lake. As I recall, they also said it was the quietest, and the one to use if you are sneaking up on an enemy, like in wartime. Thankfully I never had to put it to the test! 
This is what I was coming in to mention. I had taken Red Cross lessons when I was little. I would not be surprised if my mother still had the certification cards. I use the sidestroke whenever I get tired - it’s a good resting stroke.
I sink.
Therefore you yam.
mmm
You sure you didn’t leave out a letter there? 
I swam 50 and 100 meter Freestyle in high school. Like others, sidestroke was the default for Life Guard certification. I haven’t been in any body of water larger than a hot tub in decades.
But only if you eats your spinach
I would also use sidestroke.
I don’t know how Australian crawl differs from any other crawl, if it does. I was taught a crawl stroke in childhood and can do that also. I used to be able to do what I think is being called butterfly as well as breaststroke with the crawl kick. And I can do a backstroke.
How far I can do any of them these days is uncertain. If I were trying to cover a significant distance, I’d probably switch off between sidestroke, backstroke, and if necessary the drownproofing/resting technique I was taught many years ago; but I also avoid, these days, trying to swim long distances, as that seems unwise for somebody with shortness-of-breath problems.
Is the sidestroke the one where “you pick the apple, then put the apple in the basket”? And which kick do you use?
When I was in gym class we had swimming in January (indoor pool.) I’m incredibly nearsighted and we weren’t allowed to have our eyeglasses in the pool area. The gym teacher would stand on the diving board to demonstrate strokes and then yell at me when I didn’t perfectly imitate what the fuzzy blob was doing.
Screw you, fuzzy blob. I was Red Cross certified at age 7.
I don’t swim for exercise. I prefer to float on my back. I could probably “swim” 25 meters without drowning but Lord knows what stroke I’d be doing.
I’d have appreciated a NOTA on John T’s poll. I couldn’t choose any of them. Didn’t vote.
I never tried butterfly, but it looks to me like the stroke of greatest wasted energy. It is like the crawl except with your arms parallel rather than alternating: your arms describe the wings of a butterfly, launching your torso out of the water with each stroke.
What I remember also had a butterfly kick, in which you pulled your legs up simultaneously with your knees going out to the side and then straightened them out fast to push yourself forward.
Which worked, but as I remember it was kind of awkward.
(huh. Markdown briefly had standard font for me but has gone back to having its own font.)
Actually, Popeye originally ate sweet potatoes, not spinach. As he always says “I yam what I yam!”
Actually, it was “A yam, what a yam!”
@Karen_Lingel , what’s your goal for the cookies?
Answering that question may help you pick a cookie to make.
Chocolate chip (said in Cookie monster voice)
or
Oatmeal raisin- chewy only,
or Fig Newtons.
My only goal is to use eggs.
I couldn’t get the poll to let me vote. Was there a maximum number of items I could endorse?
It’s ranked choice, you have to pick a rank for each one (or abstain) with no duplicates.