After the global financial crisis, many companies with links to the banking sector found it difficult to even remain __________, let alone record good profit margins.

• resolute

• detrimental

• solvent

• steady

AOL Inc. __________the suggestions of its customers and paid the ultimate price going bankrupt within its first year of trading

• dissolved

• disregarded

• disillusioned

• disputed

The investment talks __________to a halt almost as quickly as they had begun.

• gritted

• ground

• groaned

• graded

With the last client pulling out at the end of December, the selfemployed businessman spent much of January wondering how he was going to __________an income.

• decide

• generate

• evade

• evolve

Although the first year of trading had proved fruitful, sales of the new car model were __________by a rival company which soon began offering a very similar model at a much cheaper price

• lanced

• festooned

• hijacked

• divulged

Unfortunately, the manufacturers were only able to __________the benefits of the new trade agreement for a limited time.

• relinquish

• honour

• reap

• assist

The publishing firm was asked to pay __________to the author after it printed her material without proper permission.

• commission

• culpability

• compensation

• capitulation

After selling the plans for the new business venture to the company's rival, a number of employees were __________as traitors and were sacked.

• denounced

• deluded

• delayed

• distracted

The sales company was __________for illegally hiring underage workers.

• enhanced

• angered

• exacerbated

• notorious

The software developers needed to consider the financial __________of outsourcing some of their work before considering whether this was a viable option.

• solutions

• certainties

• initiatives

• ramifications