1. Max was livid. He had instructed Bill to study Japanese customs and the language before giving the presentation to the Japanese investors. Bill was instructed to give the introduction in Japanese and bow when he initially met them. Instead, Bill showed up late, forgot to bow, gave the entire presentation in English and then interrupted the investors when they asked questions. Bill caused the company to lose .......... that day and his behavior was unacceptable.

2. She heard the expression "love is .......... " many times before but she never entertained the idea that she could fall prey to the human weakness implied in the saying.

3. Tom had all the makings of an exceptional analyst. One characteristic he possessed that could prove especially useful was his ability to focus exclusively on .......... out the underlying problem at hand — even in the presence of distractions.

4. Simon is usually a very prudent man so he was angry when he lost $100 at the casino last week. His friend, who is usually audacious about money and business matters, laughed and said "Don't worry about it Simon. You can't control the slot machines. It's about the luck of the .......... ."

5. Universities diminish their integrity when they lower the .......... in an effort to obtain or retain more enrollment.

6. With tuition prices ballooning and graduation requirements ever increasing, lowering one's .......... from post graduate studies and doctoral work to the acceptance of a bachelor's degree seems to be more understandable as time goes on.

7. He was as .......... as a badger when his partners went ahead with the plan to diversify their product line instead of pursuing the low-cost strategy he had recommended.

8. His diminished abilities to form rational thoughts and his seemingly incoherent actions caused his brother to remark "He is as mad as a .......... hare" during dinner.

9. Through relentless cost-cutting schemes, steady expansion and the development of innovative product lines, the company finally graduated from a smaller firm to a major-.......... player in the personal computer and technology field.

10. With federal agents breathing down his neck and his conscience blocking all hope of slumber, he decided that it was in his best interest to make a clean .......... of his crimes rather than attempt to elude indictment.