| chagrin | embarrassment |
| garrulous | wordy and rambling |
| enigma | a riddle |
| deplete | empty out |
| sanctimonious | self-righteous |
| languish | lose strength |
| incessant | continuous |
| magnanimity | kind-heartedness |
| rainforest | forest with abundant rainfall |
| deforestation | the large-scale cutting down of forests |
| dike | dam of levee |
| fallow | not cultivated |
| personification | giving human characteristics |
| exposition | explanation |
| setting | where a story takes place |