The correct answer is: B. Punctilious : Careful
Vainglorious means excessively proud of oneself or one’s achievements. Self-respecting means having or showing a proper sense of one’s own dignity or worth.
Perfidious means treacherous or deceitful. Loyal means faithful to a person or cause.
Lascivious means having or showing an excessive interest in or desire for sexual activity. Modest means having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one’s own importance or abilities.
Cantankerous means bad-tempered and quarrelsome. Querulous means complaining or whining.
Punctilious means excessively attentive to minor details or rules. Careful means taking pains to do or avoid something carefully.
Punctilious and careful are similar in that they both mean to be attentive to detail. However, punctilious is more specific in that it refers to attention to minor details or rules, while careful can refer to attention to any detail.
The other options are not similar to the original pair of words in the same way. Perfidious and loyal are opposites, while lascivious and modest are not opposites. Cantankerous and querulous are similar in that they both mean to be bad-tempered, but they are not opposites.