These words are spoken by Mephistopheles, a prince of the underworld who becomes Faustus' servant for twenty-four years after he sells his soul to Lucifer in exchange for unlimited power.
This passage appears in Act 5, Scene 1, where an Old Man appears in front of Faustus an calls him to renounce sourcery and repent, for is not to late to be saved. But Faustus sends him away, and when Mephistopheles appears, he asks the demon to torture the Old Man for offending him.
To this, Mephistopheles responds with these words, meaning that the torture will only be physical, since he cannot touch the man's soul.
The word "precursor" means "preceding requirement". This means that before a student is able to take courses in Calculus, it is required that the passed all the requirements for his Algebra. Calculus is a course which involves the study on derivatives and integrals.
Since the original meaning of that word (presided) means, management or control, I believe that your answer might be option C. Sat before, or controlled
Explanation:
1 a description of how the Islamic state and other militant group fail to affect change
I'd choose dark, inaccessible, and comfortless. The other words don't really pin down the tone ("draperies"? "General"?).
