Drop a Letter, Pick One Up, Haiku Style - Part 2 Quiz

Answer: persian

Cyrus II of Persia, also known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, or First Persian Empire. He died in December, 530 BC, and was succeeded by his son, Cambyses II.

The Persian cat is long-haired, and needs daily grooming! They are known for their gentle and affectionate nature and can be found in a wide variety of colours. They make excellent pets.

Answer: aspire

To aspire means to set your ambitions towards the object of achieving a goal. Synonyms include strive for, set your sights on and have the objective of. Its origins come from the Latin word 'aspirare', meaning to breathe, and the French word 'aspirer'.

Answer: sepia

Sepia photographs are the photos you sometimes come across in an album of old photos which are printed in varying shades of brown. The 'ink' used in the development process was originally obtained from the inky secretion of the cuttlefish. This practice traces its origins to ancient Greek and Roman times, where sepia from cuttlefish was used as ink for writing.

Sepia is still popular for printing photos, although it is no longer obtained from the cuttlefish as nowadays artificial toners are used. The sepia tone is not restricted to hard copy photos either, as many modern computerised photo programs have an editing option to give your photos the 'sepia' effect.

Answer: apse

The apse is the area of a cathedral or church where the altar is situated. It usually has a domed roof which may be very ornate. The main body of the church where the congregation sits is called the nave. The word 'apse' derives from the Latin and Greek words for 'arch', 'absis' and 'apsis' respectively.

Answer: sea

The name for the study of the world's oceans is oceanography. The world's biggest sea is the Pacific Ocean, followed by the Atlantic Ocean and then the Indian Ocean.

The word 'sea' can be a misnomer; in the instance of the Dead Sea it is not a sea at all, but a lake. It has a salinity of around 34%, making it one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. It cannot, therefore, support animal or plant life as such, although it does contain traces of fungi and bacteria.

Answer: peas

Although we think of it as a vegetable the pea is, in botanical terms, a legume, as it fits that botanical description. Peas grow in pods and the peas we enjoy eating are their seeds. Just another of those confusing little things like the better-known botanical facts that a tomato is technically a fruit and a peanut is, strictly speaking, a legume, like the pea.

Peas are easy to grow and nothing tastes better than produce you have grown yourself. Also worth growing for a tasty garnish or salad leaf are the pea shoots which come from the immature plant before the pods start to develop, so it's worth planting more if you have room so you can enjoy these too!

Answer: spear

The spear is one of the most ancient man-made weapons. Originally used for hunting and catching fish as well as a battle weapon, its history can be traced back through archaeological discoveries to pre-historic times. The use of spears featured in many early conflicts and a form of spear, the bayonet, in which a pointed weapon is affixed to a rifle, is still in military use today.

Spear-throwing skills continue in modern times in the world of sport with the javelin. Modern javelins are just over eight feet long and nowadays are made from metal. The javelin throw is one of the track and field events at the Olympics and other major sporting events, and is also one of the disciplines of modern-day decathlon and pentathlon contests.

Answer: phrase

Synonyms of the word 'phrase' include expression, term and idiom. As well as being a group of words used as part of a sentence, a phrase can also refer to a passage of music within a set piece, or a series of movements within a dance sequence.

Answer: harpies

In ancient Greek mythology, the Harpies were winged monsters with women's faces. Their story appears in relation to King Phineas of Thrace, who had been given the gift of foretelling the future, but later displeased the gods by revealing what he knew. As a result of this he was blinded, and tormented daily by the Harpies stealing and befouling his food. When Jason and the Argonauts came to the island and heard his plight they drove the Harpies away, and in return King Phineas told them how to sail through the Symplegades, a fearsome pair of rocks which clashed together causing ships which tried to pass between them to be shipwrecked. They were thus able to pass through unscathed to continue their quest for the Golden Fleece.

Harpies appear in both ancient Greek and Roman mythology. In a more modern slant they also feature as mythological beings in the TV drama 'Game of Thrones'.

Answer: sapphire

The sapphire is the birthstone for people born in September. They are usually blue, but can also be found in other colours including pink, green and yellow. A popular choice for engagement rings, one of the world's most famous sapphire rings is the late Princess Diana's engagement ring, which was later given by Prince William to his future wife Kate Middleton, who became the Duchess of Cambridge, at the time of their engagement. It is a blue sapphire from Sri Lanka, oval in shape and surrounded by fourteen diamonds.