Vocabulary and Synonyms

Obstreperous means unruly, noisy, and difficult to control - literally someone who creates obstruction or trouble. The context suggests a troublesome plan will backfire. Obstructive captures this sense of creating problems or resistance. Preponderous is a misspelling of preposterous; callous should be callous.

Fulsome means complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree - insincere and overly effusive praise. The context advises against insincere flattery in office settings. Sincerity is the opposite; fragrance is unrelated. The key is that fulsome praise sounds positive but is actually insincere/excessive.

Rhetorical in this context refers to language designed to impress or persuade rather than communicate sincerely - bombastic, grandiloquent, or empty of real meaning. The politician made comments that sounded impressive but were difficult to understand or lacking substance. Bombastic captures this sense of pretentious, inflated language.

Coruscating means sparkling, glittering, or flashing brilliantly - literally or metaphorically. The context describes a party with lots of jewellery flashing. Glittering captures this visual brilliance. Significant and extravagant are contextually possible but not the meaning of coruscating; presentable is too weak.

Personable describes someone pleasant, likable, or easy to talk to. Among the options, attractive is the closest match as it can refer to a pleasing personality or appearance. Beautiful refers mainly to physical appearance, novice means inexperienced, and multi-talented is unrelated to likability.

Adept means very skilled, proficient, or expert at something. Option B (skilled) is the direct synonym. Slow and lazy are opposite meanings, while too fast doesn't relate to skill level.

Silky means smooth, soft, and lustrous like silk fabric. Option B (smooth) is the correct synonym. Dazzling means extremely bright/shiny, delayed means late, and thin refers to narrowness - none relate to texture.

Brutal means extremely harsh, cruel, or severe. Atrocious (option C) means extremely wicked or cruel, making it the closest synonym. Profitable and entertaining are positive opposites, while user-friendly means easy to use.

Censure means to express strong disapproval or criticism, often formally. Option B (blame) is the correct meaning. Praise and eulogize (praise highly) are antonyms, while think worthy of suggests approval - the opposite of censure.

Epeolatry literally means 'worship of words' - excessive reverence for or obsession with words themselves (from Greek epos 'word' + latreia 'worship'). 'Tug war' and 'Park' are unrelated; 'epopee' refers to epic poetry, not word worship.

Atrabilious means having a gloomy or morose disposition; bad-tempered, irritable, or melancholic. It comes from Latin 'atra bilis' (black bile), the humor believed to cause melancholy. 'Good natured' is the opposite, while 'Angry' is too general.

Absquatulate is a humorous, informal American word meaning to leave hurriedly, abscond, or depart - often with a connotation of sneaking away. 'Seperate' (misspelled) and 'Combine' are incorrect; 'Very old' is unrelated.

Pinguescence means the process of becoming fat or an increase in fatness. Option D correctly identifies it as a process rather than just a state.

Blarney means flattering talk designed to gain favor or advantage, often insincere. It comes from the Blarney Stone tradition in Ireland.

Makar is an archaic Scottish term for a poet or bard, particularly one in the Scottish literary tradition. It's a specialized literary term.