| A | B |
|---|
| arduous (adj) | requiring much effort; very difficult |
| zestful | During the second week of my new exercise program, I awoke each day feeling _______ and ready for a five-mile run. |
| canny (adj) | shrewd and careful; watchful of one's own own interests |
| canny | A _____ businessperson can make a profit even in the worst of times. |
| climax (n) | the highest point; the greatest moment or event |
| climax | slugger Norris's winning home run in the World Series was a terrific ______ to the season. |
| endorse | to sign the back of a check before cashing or depositing it |
| endorsed | The bank teller wouldn't cash my check until I had ________ it. |
| exuberant (adj) | happy and excited; bubbling over with enthusiasm |
| exuberant | Our friends gave us an _________ welcome at the airport. |
| exuberance (n) | the quality of being exuberant |
| exuberance | The steady rain could not dampen the __________ of fans gathered for the rock festival. |
| intrepid (adj) | feeling or showing no fear; brave; courageous |
| intrepid | The ________ astronauts brought their crippled Apollo 13 spacecraft safely back to earth. |
| kindle (v) | to cause to become excited or or stirred up |
| kindled | The museum's exhibition of Navaho pottery _______ my interest in the Southwest. |
| kindling (n) | sticks used to start a fire |
| kindling | There were plenty of dry twigs to provide ________ for the campfire. |
| lucrative (adj) | producing wealth or profit |
| lucrative | I invested some money I had inherited in what sounded like a _________ deal. |
| mentor (n) | A wise and loyal friend and adviser |
| mentor | As president of the college she founded, Mary McLeod Bethune was a ______ to many young black women. |
| obsession (n) | an interest, idea, or feeling that fills one's mind and leaves little room for anything else. |
| obsession | Finishing her second novel has become an _________ with her and leaves her little time for other activities. |
| personable (adj) | pleasing in manner and appearance |
| personable | The hotel's __________ staff made our stay a pleasant one. |
| proficient (adj) | able to do something very well; skillful |
| proficient | All the mechanics in this garage are __________ in car repairing. |
| proficiency (n) | the quality of being proficient |
| proficiency | My cousin's ___________ in Japanese enabled her to make many friends in Tokyo. |
| scanty (adj) | Not enough or just barely enough; small in size or amount |
| scanty | After a ______ meal, of a bread roll and an apple, we continued on our journey. |
| strait (n) | a narrow body of water connecting two larget ones |
| strait | The ______ of Gibralter connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. |
| straits (n) | trouble or need |
| straits | When both parents lost their jobs, the family was in desperate _______. |
| zest (n) | great enjoyment of; excitement |
| zest | Learning to scuba dive added ____ to our Caribbean vacation. |
| zestful (adj) | full of zest |
| arduous | Frequent sandstorms made the _______ trek across the Sahara Desert even more difficult. |
