What does muir accomplish in paragraph 2? the rarest and most beautiful of the flowering plants i discovered on this first grand excursion was calypso borealis (the hider of the north). i had been fording streams more and more difficult to cross and wading bogs and swamps that seemed more and more extensive and more difficult to force one's way through. entering one of these great tamarac and arbor-vitae swamps one morning, holding a general though very crooked course by compass, struggling through tangled drooping branches and over and under broad heaps of fallen trees, i began to fear that i would not be able to reach dry ground before dark, and therefore would have to pass the night in the swamp and began, faint and hungry, to plan a nest of branches on one of the largest trees or windfalls like a monkey's nest, or eagle's, or indian's in the flooded forests of the orinoco described by humboldt.

Muir was able to show how difficult and dangerous it was to find the “rarest and most beautiful” Calyoso borealis which is also known as the Hider of the North. He showed by descriptive images that he had to go through endless swamps for several hours, not knowing whether he would be able to find a dry land that day. Even if he had a compass with him, he was uncertain about his path; thus, the more challenging the experience was, the more valuable the flower was being elevated. By its name, Hider of the North, Muir was able to prove by his description that the flower was indeed hidden from normal human view. If you want to find it, you must seek for it like a precious jewel among the unfriendly and misleading wetlands, ready to spend long arduous efforts by hands and feet. His success in discovering Calyoso borealis is an example of receiving a great reward after so much struggle and ordeal – a real taste of sweet victory.

your answer is c) experiments with water vapor showed that elements combine in specific proportions.