"Ben Hallert" wrote:
I gotta wonder how he didn't know what 'Position and hold' meant. If he
didn't have his instructor onboard, he's soloing, and if he's soloing,
presumably he's learned all this stuff... right?

In theory, yes. In practice, if a student is doing his primary training at
an uncontrolled field, it's likely he's not got much experience with
towers. While "position and hold" is probably something he's been taught,
there's a big difference between being taught something and knowing it.

Can you honestly say you've never been confused by something ATC said to
you?

It sounds like the poor pilot did the right thing -- ATC said something he
didn't understand, so he asked for clarification and didn't move until he
got it sorted out.