91-Year-Old Hiker Becomes Oldest Person to Complete Appalachian Trail

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the questions, then listen before opening the transcript. Notice names, numbers and any corrections the speaker makes.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   According to the report, what has Sanders just completed?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A regional walking event
   2. The Appalachian Trail
   3. A training program
   4. A shorter mountain route
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The Appalachian Trail

   The report directly states the completed challenge at the beginning.

   PBS NewsHour says Sanders has just completed the Appalachian Trail.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What name is Sanders known by?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Old Walker
   2. Trail Master
   3. Grey Beard
   4. Mountain Dale
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Grey Beard

   The nickname identifies Sanders’s public identity as a hiker.

   Dale Sanders, a 91-year-old hiker known as “Grey Beard,” has become the oldest person ever to complete the Appalachian Trail, according to PBS NewsHour.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the coverage connect with Sanders’s public identity?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. His medical history
   2. His record and nickname
   3. His travel schedule
   4. His family background
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   His record and nickname

   The nickname links the record with how audiences know Sanders.

   By identifying Sanders as “Grey Beard,” the coverage connects the record with the public identity he has gained as a hiker.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the story say the facts already show?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The event was ordinary for experienced hikers
   2. The achievement was unusually significant
   3. The trail conditions were especially dangerous
   4. The hike required a large support team
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The achievement was unusually significant

   The verified facts demonstrate the unusual scale without extra interpretation.

   The verified facts already show the unusual scale of the moment: a 91-year-old hiker completed an entire trail and set an age-related record in the process.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which information is specifically absent from the coverage?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Sanders’s age
   2. His nickname
   3. His preparation
   4. His record
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   His preparation

   The recording lists several unavailable details about the hike itself.

   It does not provide verified details here about his preparation, schedule, route experience, or the conditions during the hike.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What should not be added to the story?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The confirmed record
   2. The nickname “Grey Beard”
   3. Unverified information about the hike
   4. The name of the reporting program
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Unverified information about the hike

   The report warns against presenting unverified hiking details as facts.

   Those details should not be added to the story.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What result does the report produce?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It turns one record into a documented human-interest story.
   2. It proves every detail of Sanders’s preparation.
   3. It compares Sanders with younger trail runners.
   4. It explains how the Appalachian Trail was built.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It turns one record into a documented human-interest story.

   The concluding sentence describes the achievement’s wider human-interest effect.

   Amna Nawaz’s PBS NewsHour report brings attention to the achievement of the man known as “Grey Beard,” turning one individual accomplishment into a carefully documented moment of human interest.

What to review next

Listen again to difficult sections, then open the transcript to check what you heard. Repeat a useful phrase aloud and try the recording once more without the text.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Listen for the final information, especially when a speaker corrects or changes an earlier statement.

Example transcript: “Let’s meet at five — actually, half past five would be better.” What is the final suggested time?

The final suggested time is 5:30. Actually signals a correction; the first time is replaced by the later suggestion.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.