On Wednesday, March 20, 1985, at 9:00 a.m., Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod is a dog-pulling sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Riddles checked into Safety, the last checkpoint before the finish line, many hours ahead of the other racers. She traveled with a thirteen-dog team through blizzards. It took her 18 days, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds, winning her $50,000. Riddles put the Iditarod on the map with her storybook win. The next three Iditarods were also won by a woman, Susan Butcher, who in 1987 set a record-breaking time of 11 days, 2 hours, and 5 minutes.

Question

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The trail first began as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik, to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, and Ruby, and to the west coast communities including Unalakleet, White Mountain, and Nome. In 1925, part of the trail became the route for transporting emergency medical supplies to Nome, which was stricken by diphtheria.

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There were two short races on parts of the trail in 1967 and 1969. The annual race to Nome was first run officially in 1973. Called the "Last Great Race on Earth," the Iditarod follows the Knik to Nome dogsled mail and supply route of 1910.

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The race consists of teams of twelve to sixteen dogs pulling a sled driven by a man or woman, called a "musher." The trail involves treacherous climbs through the rugged Alaskan wilderness. The race lasts for eight to twenty days in subzero temperatures, much of it in darkness and blinding winds. The musher might be able to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. This is the most "daylight" seen in some arctic regions and northern plains.

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The route is alternated every other year. The 1,112-mile northern route, run in even years, has twenty-six checkpoints. The 1,131-mile southern route, run in odd years, has twenty-seven checkpoints. The Iditarod begins on the first Saturday in March. Since 1983, teams have left the start line in downtown Anchorage at the corner of 4th and "D" Streets, many aiming just to complete the race. Congress named the original Iditarod Trail a National Historic Trail in 1976.

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The current journey along the National Millennium Trail takes the mushers over mountains (the Kuskokwim and Alaska ranges), through dense forests and across frozen rivers (the Yukon for 150 miles), the Norton Sound pack ice, and desolate tundra. Mount McKinley (or "Denali," meaning "The High One" in the native Athapascan language), located in the Alaska Range, is North America's highest peak at 20,320 feet. Glaciers are also a unique part of Alaska's topography.

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"Mush! Mush! First Woman Wins Iditarod" from The Memory Project. In the public domain.

According to the text and the map, which statements about the Iditarod race are TRUE? Choose the THREE answers that apply.

A.
The "mushers" who compete in the race can be men or women.

B.
The race takes the same amount of time each year.

C.
The race has the same length and number of checkpoints every year.

D.
The race was run informally before it became official.

E.
The race ends in Nome each year.

Answer 1

The three statements about the Iditarod race that are TRUE are:

A. The "mushers" who compete in the race can be men or women.
D. The race was run informally before it became official.
E. The race ends in Nome each year.

Statements B and C are FALSE, as the race does not take the same amount of time each year (B), and the length and number of checkpoints vary by route (C).