For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/avq2e. Yeah, it's an asterisk. It's used to denote that there is a note relevant to the word it is attached to. It might say something like You have won a million dollars* *you haven't really It's basically an easy way of footnoting without having to format.
Arak is a generic term used for a variety of spirits found in Asia, particularly Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and some parts of India.
The Arawaks are original people of northern South America and the Caribbean Islands. They particularly live in Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname, the island of Trinidad, and coastal areas of northern Venezuela. Here is a map showing some of the areas where Arawak and Carib people are still living today.