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Reading Worksheet

The Long Walk Home

B1 Past Simple: Narrative Adventure and Resilience 25 minutes
Before You Read

Discuss these questions with a partner before you read.

  • Have you ever done something difficult to raise money for charity? What was it?
  • What is the longest journey you have ever made? How did you travel?
  • Would you ever walk a very long distance? Why or why not?
  • What do you think is the most important quality for completing a challenge like this?
Key Vocabulary
Word Definition Example
route (n.) the path or way taken to get somewhere Yusuf planned his route very carefully.
exhausted (adj.) extremely tired He arrived home exhausted but happy.
raise (v.) to collect money for a cause He wanted to raise money for a children's hospital.
charity (n.) an organisation that helps people in need He walked to support a medical charity.
border (n.) the official line between two countries He crossed four borders during his journey.
determination (n.) the quality of continuing despite difficulties His determination helped him finish the journey.
Reading Text
Magazine Article ~290 words

The Long Walk Home

In the spring of 2018, Yusuf Al-Rashid made a decision that most people thought was impossible. The 28-year-old engineer from Amman, Jordan, decided to walk home from Istanbul — a journey of over 2,000 kilometres across four countries. He wanted to raise money for a children's hospital in his home city, and he believed the walk would draw attention to its fundraising campaign.

Yusuf planned his route carefully before he left in April. He studied maps, arranged places to sleep in advance, and trained for six months. But despite his careful preparation, many things went wrong almost immediately.

In the mountains of Turkey, Yusuf got lost twice. He ran out of money in the second week and had to stop at a farm outside Ankara, where he worked for five days in exchange for food and a place to sleep. "I thought about stopping," he said later. "But then I thought about the children in that hospital, and I kept walking."

Local people helped him many times throughout the journey. Families gave him meals and a bed for the night. Truck drivers stopped to offer water. A schoolteacher in southern Turkey walked with him for two days. Yusuf crossed from Turkey into Lebanon via a safe northern route, and then continued south into Jordan.

After 67 days of walking, Yusuf arrived home in Amman on 24 June 2018. He was thinner and exhausted, but he walked through the city gates with his head held high. A crowd of supporters waited for him at the hospital.

In the end, his journey raised over $80,000 for the children's hospital. "The walk changed my life," Yusuf said in an interview the following week. "I started it for the children, but I finished it for myself, too."

Notice the Grammar

Look back at the article. Find five past simple verbs. Write the complete sentences below. Then discuss with a partner: which verbs are regular and which are irregular?

1 Reading for Gist

Answer these questions in a few words.

  1. What did Yusuf Al-Rashid decide to do in 2018?
  2. Why did he make this journey?
  3. How much money did his walk raise?
2 Reading for Detail

Answer these questions. Write short answers.

  1. How long did Yusuf train before the walk?
  2. What happened when Yusuf ran out of money?
  3. Name two ways that local people helped Yusuf during his journey.
  4. When did Yusuf arrive home in Amman?  a) In April 2018. b) On 24 June 2018. c) In the spring of 2019. 
  5. What did Yusuf say the journey gave him personally?
3 True, False, or Not Given

Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given). Use only information from the article.

  1. Yusuf was a professional sportsman before the walk.
  2. Yusuf got lost more than once during his time in Turkey.
  3. Yusuf walked every single kilometre of the journey alone.
  4. Yusuf gave all the money he raised directly to the patients.
  5. A crowd of people waited for Yusuf when he arrived at the hospital.
4 Vocabulary in Context

Answer these questions about words and phrases in the article.

  1. In paragraph 1, what does 'draw attention to' mean?  a) To paint a picture of something. b) To make people notice or think about something. c) To remove attention from something. 
  2. In paragraph 3, Yusuf worked 'in exchange for' food and a place to sleep. What does this phrase mean?
  3. Find a word in paragraph 5 that means 'people who agree with and encourage a person or cause'. Write it here. 
  4. In paragraph 5, Yusuf 'walked through the city gates with his head held high'. What does this phrase tell us about how he felt? Write your own explanation.
5 Grammar in Context

Complete these activities. Go back to the article.

  1. Find five past simple verbs in the article. Write each verb and say whether it is regular (R) or irregular (I).
    a)  b)  c)  d)  e) 
  2. Find three time expressions in the article that tell us when things happened. Write them here.
    a)  b)  c) 
  3. Yusuf 'decided to walk'. Why is the past simple used here? Explain in one sentence.
  4. Write the past simple form of these verbs. Are they regular (R) or irregular (I)? decide → ___ (R/I), walk → ___ (R/I), run → ___ (R/I), give → ___ (R/I), cross → ___ (R/I)
  5. Think of a journey you took (or imagine one). Write 3-4 sentences about what happened. Use the past simple and include at least two time expressions.
Personal Response — Discuss with a partner

Discuss these questions with a partner. Then share one idea with the class.

  1. Yusuf thought about stopping but continued because of the children. Have you ever wanted to give up but kept going? What made you continue?
  2. Many strangers helped Yusuf on his journey. Do you think people are generally kind to strangers? Give an example.
  3. If you were going to do something to raise money for a cause you believe in, what would you do and why?

Answer Key

The Long Walk Home — B1 — Past Simple: Narrative

Exercise 1 — Reading for Gist

  1. He decided to walk from Istanbul to Amman — over 2,000 kilometres.
  2. To raise money for a children's hospital.
  3. Over $80,000.

Exercise 2 — Reading for Detail

  1. Six months.
  2. He worked at a farm for five days in exchange for food and somewhere to sleep.
  3. Any two of: gave him meals / gave him a bed for the night / offered water / walked with him — accept two correct examples.
  4. b)
  5. He said the walk changed his life — he finished it for himself as well as for the children.

Exercise 3 — True, False, or Not Given

  1. F — Para. 1: he was a 28-year-old engineer.
  2. T — Para. 3: 'Yusuf got lost twice' in the mountains of Turkey.
  3. F — Para. 4: 'A schoolteacher in southern Turkey walked with him for two days'.
  4. NG — The article says the money was raised for the hospital, but does not say who managed the funds.
  5. T — Para. 5: 'A crowd of supporters waited for him at the hospital'.

Exercise 4 — Vocabulary in Context

  1. b)
  2. He did not receive money — instead, his payment was food and shelter. He gave work and received food/accommodation.
  3. supporters
  4. It tells us he felt proud and confident — despite being exhausted, he was not ashamed or defeated. He was proud of what he had achieved.

Exercise 5 — Grammar in Context

  1. Regular examples: decided, planned, raised, crossed, arrived, wanted, trained, studied, worked, changed, started, finished. Irregular examples: went, got, ran, gave, had, said, thought, kept, made — accept any 5 with correct R/I labelling.
  2. Any three of: 'In the spring of 2018' / 'in April' / 'in the second week' / 'for five days' / 'throughout the journey' / 'After 67 days' / 'on 24 June 2018' / 'the following week' — accept correct examples.
  3. Because this was a completed action that happened at a specific point in the past (in the spring of 2018).
  4. decided (R), walked (R), ran (I), gave (I), crossed (R)
  5. Answers will vary. Answers will vary. Check: past simple verbs used correctly, at least two time expressions present.

Notice the Grammar — suggested answers

Accept any five correct examples from the article that use the target grammar. Students should be able to explain why the grammar is used in each case.

Personal Response

Answers will vary. This section is for spoken discussion or short written response. There are no single correct answers.