Guardian seeks readers’ tips for wild escapes in Scotland

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

C2. 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 passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central purpose?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To compare Scottish accommodation providers
   2. To explain a travel-writing invitation and its broader significance
   3. To advertise one remote Scottish island
   4. To evaluate Lonely Planet’s travel coverage
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain a travel-writing invitation and its broader significance

   It explains the invitation’s scope, incentives, and value to prospective travelers.

   The Guardian is inviting readers to describe an escape or adventure in Scotland’s wilder regions, asking for travel tips rooted in places that feel distant from everyday routines.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred from the examples of a bothy, a solo walk, and a romantic island break?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Only strenuous journeys are eligible
   2. Entries must involve overnight accommodation
   3. The competition welcomes varied interpretations of wilderness travel
   4. Romantic travel is preferred to solitary travel
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The competition welcomes varied interpretations of wilderness travel

   The examples demonstrate that the invitation accommodates contrasting travel preferences.

   A romantic break on a windswept island also fits the invitation.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “These terms” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Mountains and lochs
   2. Bothy and off-grid stay
   3. Travel section and website
   4. Trail and coastline
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Bothy and off-grid stay

   The phrase points back to the explanations of “bothy” and “off-grid.”

   These terms help convey why practical detail can be as useful as scenic description when travelers are considering a wild escape.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention Coolstays’ worldwide portfolio?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To establish the company’s Scottish origins
   2. To suggest every winner travels abroad
   3. To emphasize the prize’s range beyond one location
   4. To criticize conventional accommodation
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To emphasize the prize’s range beyond one location

   The detail clarifies that the prize offers broad accommodation choice.

   Coolstays is described as having more than 3,000 properties worldwide, so the prize is connected to a company with a broad accommodation offering rather than a single Scottish location.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How does the article develop its account of what makes a tip valuable?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. By ranking destinations according to popularity
   2. By shifting from visual appeal to informed personal insight
   3. By contrasting Scotland with other countries
   4. By focusing increasingly on prize eligibility
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   By shifting from visual appeal to informed personal insight

   It moves from scenery toward personal interpretation supplemented by usable information.

   A worthwhile tip may identify the character of a stay, trail, mountain, coastline, or island and explain what made it memorable.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What limitation does the article place on the appeal of remote trips?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. They must include professional guides
   2. They cannot involve conventional services
   3. Their appeal extends beyond dramatic scenery
   4. They are suitable only for experienced walkers
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Their appeal extends beyond dramatic scenery

   It cautions that impressive scenery alone does not determine a trip’s worth.

   The appeal of such trips does not depend only on spectacular views.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the relationship between publication and competition in the invitation?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Publication replaces the weekly prize
   2. Publication provides an additional reason to contribute
   3. Competition prevents publication on the website
   4. Publication is limited to professional writers
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Publication provides an additional reason to contribute

   The article presents publication as an additional outcome alongside winning.

   That means the invitation is not solely a competition; it is also a search for accounts that may help other readers imagine, and potentially plan, time in Scotland’s less familiar landscapes.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why is the final paragraph significant in the article’s organization?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It introduces a new sponsor
   2. It summarizes the invitation’s deeper experiential emphasis
   3. It supplies missing safety regulations
   4. It narrows eligibility to island visits
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It summarizes the invitation’s deeper experiential emphasis

   It returns to the invitation while broadening its emphasis from tourism to distinctive experience.

   It encourages readers to look beyond the obvious itinerary and share the experiences that made a remote journey feel distinctive.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

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

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

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.