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2014 ‫מועד אוקטובר‬ - 41 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) The giant squid has been known by many names – devil fish, Scylla, gigantic
cuttlefish and Architeuthis, among others. The creature itself is the stuff of nightmares,
with tentacles up to 13 meters long, chromatophores that allow the animal to change its
skin color instantly, and lidless eyes the size of dinner plates – the largest of any animal.

(5) In folklore, its monstrous tentacles (ten of them, unlike the eight of the octopus) emerge
suddenly out of the depths to drag unsuspecting sailors, even entire ships, to a watery
doom. And though giant squid occasionally wash up dead on the beaches of
Newfoundland, New Zealand, and Norway, to this day nobody has ever seen one alive
in the water. Architeuthis remains one of the most mysterious, and haunting, members

(10) of the animal kingdom.

A recently published book, The Search for the Giant Squid by Richard Ellis,
conveys much of the horror and mystery associated with this marine monster. Ellis is a
marine painter and self-described cryptozoologist, or "student of hidden and unknown
animals." In 1995, he published Monsters of the Sea, which explored stories and

(15) legends about sharks, whales, mermaids, squid, and other strange ocean creatures, both
real and fictional. Subsequently, he became obsessed with Architeuthis, and the product
of his obsession is sure to enthrall – as well as appall – readers of all ages.

In one unforgettable chapter, Ellis describes the fierce battles presumed to take

place between sperm whales and giant squid in the ocean's depths. Although the battle

(20) descriptions themselves have little scientific validity, they are based on an undeniable

fact: sperm whales consume enormous quantities of giant squid. In fact, according to

Ellis, scientists who have analyzed the stomach contents of beached sperm whales

estimate that the total weight of giant squid eaten every year by these whales is greater

than the combined weight of all the human beings on earth.

Questions

18. The main purpose of the text is to -

(1) review a marine zoologist's recent research on Architeuthis
(2) describe the giant squid and compare it to other sea animals
(3) show the importance of Richard Ellis's work on ocean life
(4) discuss a mysterious marine creature and a book written about it

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬

.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬