Although it is difficult to tell if the sentence is looking for a contrast to the word “discordant” or a synonym to it, it should be clear that none of the options can be a synonym in any strict sense.  The metaphor of being “discordant” implies that something “clashes” with the moralist’s experience.  Therefore, if it must be a contrast, the word “consonant” would work best, as it implies that something is “in agreement with” his experience.  Literally, to be consonant means to “sounds with” something else.  Two agreeing notes in a piece of music are considered to be “consonant.”  The usage here is metaphorical. 

Although it might seem that a rigid schedule is difficult, we cannot imply that directly. The word “regimented” best fits the needs of this sentence, meaning “strictly organized in a strict schedule.”  The word is related to a number of words for “ruling” such as “regal,” “regent,” and “regalia.”

There is nothing in this sentence to state that the king was arrogant in his demeanor even if he does distinguish himself from the general lot of people.  Although the necessary weaker sense might be expressed by “cultured,” the adjective “regal” likewise conveys the sense of “kingliness.”  The word is derived from the Latin word for king and is found in such English words as “regiment,” “regent,” and “interregnum.”

The contrast here is between “weak” and “strong” not “safe” and “dangerous.”  Therefore, the word “potent” is the best choice among our options.  “Potent” is related to a number of English words derived from the Latin for “to be able” as well as “power” such as “potency,” “possible,” “potential,” “omnipotent,” and “potentate.”

Although it might be tempting to choose one of the words related to old age, such as “senile” or “downtrodden,” it is necessary to pay heed to the key words “force and authority.”  While “defenseless” may seem to contrast this, it doesn’t match the sense as well as “impotent,” which directly signifies a lack of power.   It is derived from the “in-” prefix that means “not” (in this case) and “potent,” which means “having strength or power.”  The latter is derived from the Latin for “to be able” as well as other words meaning “power.”  Related English words are “potency,” “possible,” “potential,” “omnipotent,” and “potentate.”

Although William’s body is likely to be weak and fainting, all that we are told in the sentence is that he needs to be rehydrated (that is, replenished with regard to fluids, particularly water).  In such a case, it would be most appropriate to say that a person is “desiccated,” meaning that he or she is lacking fluid.  The word comes from the Latin root for “dry,” but it has few recognizable related words in English.  The word can also be used to indicate that one lacks passion or energy.

Although the professor’s words are likely endless and perhaps even academic or scholarly, the sentence wishes to indicate that they were a string of lifeless sources, strung together.  If something is (literally) dried out, it is said to be desiccated.  By extension, the term “desiccated” is applied to anything that lacks “sap” or vitality, even human words.

Since the soap dries the skin as it does, it must contain some sort of drying agents.  The word “siccific” is a rare English word, but it has related parts that should make it somewhat easier to guess.  The suffix “-fic,” as well as the related “-fac” and “-fy”, are all found in many words and means “to do” or “to make.”  Think of words like “efficacious,” “defect,” “ramify,” “exemplify,” and many others. The “sicc-” portion of the word is derived from the Latin for “dry,” and is found in the word “desiccate,” meaning “to dry out.”  It is often used in the past participle form “desiccated,” meaning “dried out.”  The word “siccific,” therefore means “something that acts as a drying agent.”

A religion that posits a strict equivalence between God and the world is known as “pantheistic,” meaning “all-god.”  The prefix “pan-” means “all” and is found in words like “pantomime” and “panacea” (the latter meaning “all-healing”).  The “-theistic” portion of the word means “related to God or gods” and is related to words like “theology” and “atheist” (meaning “no-God”).

Here, the correct answer is a very rare form of the word, but there are hints present in the sentence itself.  The author feels that he received insufficient praise; therefore, if we can find a word that merely expresses sufficiency, it would be more appropriate than anything excessive.  (That is, while Andrea might have believed that she gave excessive praise, only to be surprised by the slighted artist, the sentence even more directly encourages us to look for a word that merely meets the opposition to “insufficient,” namely something implying “sufficiency.”)  The word “meet” means “appropriate” or “just.”  It is related to the word “mete,” which means “to deal out justice.”  The word “meet” is sometimes found in late-nineteenth-century English Christian hymns that attempt to find a rhyme for the title “Paraclete” (a title of the Holy Spirit in Christian theology).  Thus, such rhymes will talk about giving “praise that is ‘meet’” to the “Paraclete.”