Questão número 636728

Read the text below in order to answer questions 26 to 30.

STOCK OPTIONS

Twenty years ago, the biggest component of executive compensation was cash, in the form of salaries and bonuses. Stock options were just a footnote. Now the reverse is true. With astounding speed, stock option grants have come to dominate the pay - and often the wealth - of top executives throughout the United States. Last year, Jack Welch's unexercised GE options were valued at more than $260 million. Intel CEO Craig Barrett's were worth more than $100 million. Michael Eisner exercised 22 million options on Disney stock in 1988 alone, netting more than a half-billion dollars. In total, U.S. executives hold unexercised options worth tens of billions of dollars.

What does the verb net refer to in the following sentence:

"...netting more than a half - billion dollars".

• A. The gain when all expenses have been paid.
• B. An amount of money earned in total.
• C. The gain made before the expenses are paid.
• D. Total earnings, before deductions are made.
• E. Partial gain due to the market losses.