• Surprising means causing astonishment or wonder, but doesn’t necessarily imply positive delight in the same way as “frabjous”.
• Blithe means carefree and lighthearted, often to the point of being inconsiderate; it doesn’t relate to the ‘wonderful’ aspect of “frabjous.”
• Gusto means enjoyment or enthusiasm in doing something; while positive, it relates to energetic enjoyment rather than the overall quality of being wonderful.

Therefore, Wonderful is the closest in meaning to Frabjous.

• Conversation is verbal exchange, unrelated to the physical act of accubation.
• Ambulation means walking or moving about, the opposite of reclining.
• Occupation means a job or activity, also unrelated to the specific posture of accubation.

Thus, Reclining is the most accurate meaning of Accubation.

• Float is to rest or move on the surface of a liquid without sinking, and is actually closer in concept to levitating in that both involve not falling.
• Plod means to walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps, unrelated to the concept of floating or rising.
• Wander means to move about aimlessly or without a fixed direction, also not directly related to levitation or its opposite.

Therefore, Sink is the best antonym for Levitate among the options.

• Obvious means easily perceived or understood; this is the opposite of “sibylline.”
• Transparent means easy to perceive or detect; similar to “obvious” and opposite to “sibylline.”
• Subtle means delicately complex and understated; while it can imply some difficulty in understanding, it doesn’t capture the mystical and obscure nature of “sibylline” as well as “enigmatic” does.

Therefore, Enigmatic is the most similar in meaning to Sibylline.

• Paved usually implies a surface covered with concrete, asphalt, or larger set stones, a more refined surface than macadam or gravel.
• Mudded would mean covered in mud, the opposite of a prepared road surface.
• Turfed means covered with grass or turf, also not related to road construction.

While “Paved” might seem close, “Macadamized” specifically refers to a construction method using smaller stones, making Graveled a better, near-synonym in this context, especially considering gravel roads are a less refined, but still stone-based, road surface similar in material.

• Surrender means to give oneself up or to stop resisting, the opposite of aggressively trying to obtain something.
• Cooperate means to work jointly towards a common goal, implying honesty and openness, unlike “finagle.”
• Wheedle means to use flattery or coaxing to persuade someone to do something or give one something; it is a method of manipulation, making it a synonym, not an antonym.

Therefore, Surrender is the best option representing the opposite of Finagle.

• Satisfaction, Fulfillment, and Contentment all describe a state of being pleased because one’s wishes have been met, which is the opposite of longing or craving.

Thus, Craving is the closest in meaning to Desiderium.

• Assistant is a more general term for someone who helps another person, but doesn’t specifically denote writing from dictation.
• Clerk is also a general office worker, but again, less specifically related to the act of writing down dictated words.
• Scribe is a very close synonym and in some contexts might be considered even more precise historically, but “Secretary” is a broadly understood modern equivalent for the function of an amanuensis.

Between Secretary and Scribe, Secretary is provided as the answer, and in modern English, it is a highly suitable synonym for the function of an amanuensis.

• Unacceptable, Questionable, and Dubious all imply that something is not satisfactory, doubtful, or not good enough, and are thus closer to antonyms rather than synonyms of “cromulent.”

Therefore, Acceptable is the closest meaning to Cromulent.

• Closeness is a synonym for propinquity.
• Remoteness and Isolation are also related to distance, but “Distance” itself is the most direct and general antonym for “propinquity.”

Thus, Distance is the best opposite of Propinquity.

• Naivety is the state of being innocent or showing a lack of worldly experience and wisdom, the opposite of perspicacity.
• Intelligence is a more general term for the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. While perspicacity is a form of intelligence, “acumen” captures the specific sharpness and insight meant by “perspicacity” more precisely.

Therefore, Acumen is the most similar in meaning to Perspicacity while Naivety is the opposite word.

• Fabrication is the act of inventing or creating something false, a synonym for confabulation in the sense of inventing false memories.
• Distortion and Exaggeration both involve misrepresenting facts, but confabulation is specifically about inventing false memories, making “fabrication” closer in one sense, but “verification” the true opposite.

Therefore, Verification is the best antonym for Confabulation.

• Connoisseur is an expert judge in matters of taste, often in food, wine, art, or literature, implying deep knowledge and commitment, the opposite of a dilettante.
• Enthusiast is a person filled with enthusiasm for something, and while a dilettante might be enthusiastic, the core meaning is about superficiality rather than deep expertise.

Thus, Connoisseur is the best antonym, and Amateur the best synonym if we are considering synonyms, but for antonyms, Connoisseur stands out. However, for the purpose of finding the closest meaning (as the question initially asked for synonyms in part (a)), Amateur becomes the correct answer. There might be a slight ambiguity in how the question is framed if it mixes synonym and antonym sections without clear demarcation for each word individually. Given the answer choices and common understanding, Amateur as a synonym for Dilettante is the most likely intended association.

• Balance, Order, and Harmony all describe states of being well-arranged and working correctly, synonyms for “in kilter.”

Therefore, Out-of-sync is the best antonym for Kilter.

• Cacophony means a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; it is a synonym for the noise associated with a “rhubarb” (dispute).
• Harmony means agreement or concord; a pleasing arrangement of sounds, the opposite of a noisy dispute in the context of “rhubarb.”
• Sweetness refers to a pleasant taste or quality, unrelated to the concept of noise or dispute.

While “Harmony” is also related to peacefulness, Serenity more directly captures the opposite of a noisy commotion, making it the better antonym for Rhubarb in its disputatious sense.

• Tenebrous means dark, shadowy, or obscure; while it contrasts with “sparkling,” it doesn’t directly address the “brilliant and exciting” metaphorical sense of “coruscating.”
• Sparkling and Brilliant are synonyms for “coruscating.”

Therefore, Mundane is the best antonym for Coruscating.

• Passion is a very strong emotion or desire, the opposite of a weak inclination.
• Indifference and Apathy both mean a lack of interest or concern; while related to weakness of feeling, they describe a lack of any feeling (positive or negative), whereas velleity is still a positive but weak inclination.

• Ornate is a synonym for Baroque, meaning elaborately decorated.
• Classical refers to a style that emphasizes balance, proportion, and order, and while different from Baroque, it isn’t its direct opposite in terms of ornamentation level.
• Rococo is a later, even more elaborate and ornate style that developed from Baroque, making it a further degree of ornamentation rather than an opposite.

Therefore, Minimalist is the best antonym for Baroque.

• Warning and Disclaimer are synonyms for Caveat; they both serve to caution or limit responsibility.
• Assurance is similar to a guarantee but can be slightly less formal. However, in this context, “Guarantee” is presented as the intended antonym of “Caveat.”

While “Assurance” is close to “Guarantee”, and both contrast with “Caveat”, Guarantee is offered as the correct antonym, likely emphasizing the aspect of removing doubt versus introducing caution.

• Bravado and Boast are synonyms for Bluster; they both involve showing off or bragging loudly and often emptily.
• Confidence can sometimes be genuine self-assurance, but in the context of “bluster,” “confidence” here might be interpreted as a part of the outward show that “bluster” represents, making it closer to a synonym in this specific contrast.

Therefore, Meekness is the best antonym for Bluster.