EXAM WITH ANSWERS
EBAU Practice Examination (Asturias)
The Ghost Orchid
The Ghost Orchid is one of Britain’s rarest and loveliest wild flowers. The plant’s
name refers to its pallid features, mysterious beauty, and intermittent appearances. The Ghost
Orchid rarely appears above ground and is very well camouflaged in the woods and forests
where it grows. Traditionally, the best time to see a ghost is at night, and in fact botanists
sometimes look for the Ghost Orchid when it is dark; they use a powerful torch, shining the
light parallel to the ground to help them to see the flower.
The Ghost Orchid was first found in Britain in 1854 by Mary Anderton Smith. Botany
was considered a very suitable pastime for young ladies at the time, and in 19th-century
Britain women often made important botanical discoveries. But although a lot of people have
looked for it since Mary first found it, this plant has only occasionally been seen in Britain
again.
One notable sighting came in 1953, when botanist Rex Graham, who had been
searching for years in the hope of finding the Ghost Orchid, decided to take a moment’s rest,
sat down on a tree stump and, while lighting his pipe, saw the orchid in front of him. History
does not relate whether he ever actually smoked his pipe!
More years went by with no confirmed sightings, and in 2001 the Ghost Orchid was
officially declared extinct in the British Isles. The last British specimen, we were told, had
died. Nevertheless, botanists continued to look for the orchid. One of them, Mark Jannink,
carefully researched its preferred habitats and records of where and when it had been found.
He discovered that many of the sightings came after a cold winter.
The winter of 2008-9 was cold. Jannink identified ten possible sites and visited each
one of them every fortnight throughout the summer of 2009. Finally, on 20 September 2009,
he found a single small specimen in a wood only a few kilometres from where Mary Anderton
Smith had first found it all those years ago.
QUESTIONS. Do not copy literally from the text. (1 punto por respuesta = 4 puntos)
1. Why in your opinion do people look for the Ghost Orchid? People look for the Ghost
Orchid because it is very beautiful and because very few people have ever seen it in
Britain.
2. Why wasn’t it surprising that the Ghost Orchid was first discovered by a woman?
At the time of discovery, botany was a popular pastime for women to take part in.
3. Why do you think Jannink found the Ghost Orchid? I think Mark Jannink found the
plant because he tried very hard; he investigated previous findings and often looked
for it in probable places.
4. What do you think Rex Graham thought and felt when he saw the Ghost Orchid?
I imagine that he felt very surprised and happy, and that he thought that he
had finally done what he wanted to do – find the Ghost Orchid.
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