| A | B |
| canny | shrewd and careful |
| climax | highest point; greatest moment |
| kindle | to start burning |
| lucrative | producing wealth or profit |
| proficient | skillful |
| zest | great enjoyment of |
| arduous | requiring much effort |
| endorse | to approve of ; support |
| exuberant | Happy and excited; bubbling over with enthusiasm |
| intrepid | feeling or showing no fear |
| mentor | a wise loyal friend and advisor |
| obsession | interest that fills the mind and leaves little room for anything else |
| personable | pleasing in manner and appearance |
| scanty | not enough or just barely enough |
| strait | a narrow body of water connecting two larger ones |
| conclusive | convincing |
| exotic | fascinating for being different |
| incredulous | showing disbelief |
| naive | innocent |
| preposterous | too absurd to be believed |
| allege | to state as fact without offering proof |
| counterpart | a person or thing that is similar to another |
| dismal | dark or extremely gloomy |
| enthrall | to hold the attention of as though under a spell |
| legendary | well-known; famous talked about over a long period of time |
| lurk | to prowl or lie hidden |
| menagerie | a collection of animals kept in cages for showing to the public |
| pander | to give or promise what is wanted in order to please something |
| plausible | seeming to be true but not necessarily so |
| pander | to give or promise what is wanted inorder to please someone |