The contrast here is between effect and cause, that is between things “coming after” and things “coming before” an event. Since our sentence does not speak of specific kinds of causes or even their regularity, the best adjective will be one that merely expresses the fact that causes “come before” a given event. The word “antecede” literally means “going before.” The prefix “ante” means “before” and is found in the English “antechamber,” meaning a small room that is “before” another room (and in which people are often first received as guests). Also, it is found in “antebellum” which literally means “before the war” and is often used to describe the southern United States before the American Civil War.

Since the sentence speaks neither of effeminacy nor of cowardliness, the best option is “maudlin.” The word means “sentimental” with the negative sense being “self-pitying” and perhaps induced by drunkenness. This negative implication suffices for this sentence, for it implies that the old man judged such displays in a negative light.

The only thing that is said about Anatol’s remark is that it concerns his perception of the proximity of his death. While this remark might seem startling or perhaps remarkable (for many people may not think of such things), the best description is “morbid.” A morbid person often focuses on unhappy subjects, often death. The word itself is related to Latin root words for disease, though we often associate the “morb-” prefix with another Latin root, namely “mort-” for death. Remember that “morb-” is directly concerned with disease.

The best option is that which indicates the beauty of the words spoken by the preacher. The word “mellifluous” means “beautiful and pleasing to hear.” The word literally means “flowing with honey,” so it at times can have the meaning of “sweet sounding.” The “mel-” prefix is derived from the Latin for honey and can be found in the rare English word “melliferous,” which means “producing honey.”

The key expression here is “one must choose sides for or against.” The contrast implied in the sentence is between one who does not take such sides and one who does do so. When someone does not have a preference for either side of a conflict or controversy, he or she is said to be “neutral.” (A neutral person need not be calm or tranquil, though often this can be the case.) The word comes from the Latin word describing a gender in the Latin language, namely the neuter gender. Many non-English modern European languages still have the masculine and feminine genders for their nouns. Languages like Latin and Greek also had another option, the neuter gender. Being neither masculine nor feminine, it was rather neutral on the matter of gender!

Since Mildred’s actions are implied to have been against the regulations, they are illegal even if someone wants to argue that they are not immoral. Something “illicit” is literally something “against the law.” The “il-” prefix is a negative prefix applied to the base “-licit,” which means “lawful.” The latter is related to words like “license” and “licentiate.”

Since it seemed that Joseph could not accomplish his goals, it can be said that his efforts would not be “effective” or (more exactly) “efficacious” (meaning “successful or able to produce and effect”). We cannot say that they are either thwarted or frustrating. The sentence merely speaks of him being incapable; therefore, the best option is the negation of “efficacious”: “inefficacious.”

The key word here is “determination,” for it describes David’s overall attitude. When someone is “resolute,” he or she is fixedly determined to do something. When one makes a “resolution,” he or she fixes that resolution as a goal. Traditionally, people make “new year’s resolutions” as goals for the coming year.

Omer could be said to have an interest in “the heavens.” The word “celestial,” is an adjective meaning “concerning heavenly bodies” or “concerning the things of space.” It is derived from the Latin word for “heavens” or “skies.” The instrument called “the celeste” is so named because of its “heavenly” sound.

The key word to note is “perplexed,” which helps to give sense to the contrast being proposed in this sentence. The sense is that the puzzle was not particularly perplexing or difficult. While the option “advanced” might appear to be an adequate option, it does not signify the sense of perplexity as well a the word “intricate.” The word “intricate” implies a certain “trickiness” or complicated nature. It is derived from the Latin for “to entangle,” which itself is derived from the word for “trick.” It is related to words like “intriguing” and “extricate.”