Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

(CNN) -- Politicians make gaffes almost daily. Some they can overcome. Some are fodder for late-night comedians. Some are deadly to their campaigns. Republican congressman Todd Akin's recent gaffe was so toxic, he may not only have killed his campaign, he may be the political equivalent of a zombie who also infects the Romney/Ryan ticket with his deadly virus.

The American public is smarter than most political campaigns give us credit for. We may not be geniuses -- me included -- but we intuitively grasp when a politician has merely slipped up or when he or she has revealed something much more significant.

The first type of political gaffes are just that: mistakes. For example, when then-presidential candidate Barack Obama said he had campaigned in "57 states." Or when Rep. Michele Bachmann suggested that the American Revolution had started in New Hampshire.

These kinds of comments are generally overcome. The only time they're potentially fatal is if they occur with such frequency that they begin to define the politician. Note to Joe Biden: You are really getting close to achieving that feat.

Then there are the gaffes that are not gaffes at all. These reveal the candidate's views on an issue or a character flaw that we had not previously seen.

Rep. Todd Akin's notorious remark Sunday clearly falls into the second category.

Akin assessing candidacy with conservatives in Florida

His statement that a woman being raped could magically shut off her reproductive system and avoid becoming pregnant was so outrageous that even Mitt Romney quickly denounced him. (Surprising, because Romney failed to condemn Rush Limbaugh's despicable comments regarding Sandra Fluke, the law student whom Limbaugh called a "slut" on his radio show after she appeared before Congress to discuss contraception.) Akin's statement also brought national attention to his radical position that a woman who becomes pregnant from rape should be required to carry the baby to term.

1. Who said something outrageous?
2. What did he say?
3. To what end?
4. Who distanced themselves from the comment?
5. Why was this unexpected?
6. What was that about?
7. On what media?
8. What did Akin's mistake bring to light?
9. Is he the fist person to make a public mistake?
10. Who else?
11. What did he say?
12. How many kinds of mistakes are there?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. Todd Akin
2. A woman being raped could magically shut off her reproductive system
3. To avoid becoming pregnant
4. Mitt Romney
5. He failed to condemn Rush Limbaugh's despicable comments
6. He called her a "slut"
7. Radio
8. His position that a woman who becomes pregnant from rape should be required to carry the baby to term.
9. No
10. Barrack Obama
11. He had campaigned in "57 states."
12. Two

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

Bum rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate would be $ 50,000 a month when my new media company started. So, I began looking around for individuals who would be my first investors. "Angel money" it was called. But when I reviewed my list of acquaintances to find those who might be able to help, I found the number got small.

With no other choices, I began meeting with the venture-capital companies. But I was warned they took a huge share of your company for the money they put in. And if you struggled, they could drop you cold.

As I was searching for "angel money", I started to build a team who trusted me even though I didn't have money for paychecks yet.

Bill Becker was an expert in computer programming and image processing at a very famous Media Lab at M. I.T. With his arrival, my company suddenly had a major technology "guy" in-house.

Katherine Henderson, a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer, joined us as our director of market research. Steve White came on as operating officer. He had worked for the developer of a home-finance software, Quicken. We grabbed him.

We had some really good people, but we still didn't have enough money. One night, my neighbor, Louise Johnson, came for a visit. She and I were only nodding acquaintances, but her boys and ours were constant companions. She ran a very good business at the time.

Louise was brilliant and missed nothing. She had been watching my progress closely. She knew I was dying for money and I had prospects but could offer no guarantees of success.

She told me that her attorney had talked to mine and the terms had been agreed upon. She handed me an envelope. Inside was a check for $ 500,000.

I almost fell down. I heard her voice as if from heaven.

"I have confidence in your plan," she said. "You' 11 do well. You're going to work hard for it, but it' s satisfying when you build your own company."

Who would have thought I'd find an angel so close to home? There were no words sufficient for the moment. We just said good night. She left and I just stood there, completely humbled and completely committed.

1. What is early investment money called?
2. How much did the author's new enterprise cost per month?
3. What term is used to define that?
4. Did they have a lot of friends willing to assist?
5. Who else did the author look to for assistance?
6. What is one disadvantage to bringing them aboard?
7. What is another?
8. Where was Bill Becker working?
9. Was he in an unknown lab?
10. What was nice about Becker joining the group?
11. Who else came on?
12. Anybody else?
13. Which of them had software development experience?
14. Which software?
15. What did Katherine Henderson do before?
16. Was the owner of the company able to pay all these people right away?
17. Why did they join then?
18. Who came to the rescue?
19. Who was that?
20. How much did she contribute?

Numbered answers:

A:
1. Angel money
2. $ 50,000
3. Bum rate
4. Yes
5. venture-capital companies
6. they took a huge share of your company
7. if you struggled, they could drop you cold.
8. M. I.T.
9. No
10. they had a major technology "guy" in-house.
11. Katherine Henderson
12. Steve White
13. Steve White
14. Quicken
15. a filmmaker and a former real-estate dealer,
16. no
17. They trusted him
18. his neighbor
19. Louise Johnson
20. $ 500,000.