積極的【せっきょくてき】
positive, assertive, active, proactive, aggressive
消極的【しょうきょくてき】
negative, passive, half-hearted, unmotivated
南極【なんきょく】
South Pole, the Antarctic, Antarctica
究極【きゅうきょく】
ultimate, final, last, eventual
見極める【みきわめる】
to ascertain, to make sure of, to determine, to probe, to get to the bottom (of something)
北極【ほっきょく】
North Pole, the Arctic
北極圏【ほっきょくけん】
Arctic Circle, the Arctic
極める【きわめる】
to carry to extremes, to go to the end of something, to reach the limits of something, to reach the peak of something (e.g. luxury, hardships, etc), to be extremely (e.g. busy), to investigate thoroughly, to research thoroughly, to master, to understand completely, to exhaust completely, to have nothing left (e.g. to say)
極まる【きわまる】
to reach an extreme, to reach a limit, to terminate, to come to an end, extremely, to be stuck, to be in a dilemma, to be at a loss, to be decided, to be settled