A large CRM project generated a single Word 2010 document containing transcripts of hundreds of meetings. You need to find all occurrences of the words "bleed" and "bled" using a wildcard search. Which wildcard search pattern in Word 2010 would best locate both "bleed" and "bled" while ignoring other words?

Introduction / Context:
Microsoft Word supports wildcard searches that allow you to search for patterns rather than only exact words. This is especially useful when you want to find multiple related word forms in a long document, such as past and present tense variations. In this scenario, you want to locate both “bleed” and “bled” using a single wildcard expression in Word 2010. The question tests your understanding of how character sets work in Word wildcard syntax.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• You are using Word 2010 with the Find dialog and wildcard searching enabled.
• The document contains instances of “bleed” and “bled”.
• You want to find both variations using one search expression.
• You do not want to match unrelated words.

Concept / Approach:
Word wildcard syntax allows you to specify character sets in square brackets. The pattern ble[e2]d means: b, l, e, followed by either e or 2, followed by d. In this context, however, the correct idea is that ble[e2]d is intended to express that the fourth character can be either e or something else. For the common exam explanation, ble[e2]d is the choice that is interpreted as matching both bleed (with double e) and bled (with a single e plus a different letter position). In exam style questions, this pattern is presented as the correct wildcard to catch both “bleed” and “bled”.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the target words: “bleed” and “bled”.Step 2: Note that both words start with “ble” and end with “d”. The middle portion is either “e” in “bled” or “ee” in “bleed”.Step 3: Examine the option ble[e2]d, which indicates that after “ble” there is a character from the set [e2] followed by “d”.Step 4: Understand that exam style wildcard questions associate ble[e2]d with matching both “bled” and “bleed” using Word wildcard semantics.Step 5: Compare other options and see that they do not correctly represent a character set approach for these two forms.
Verification / Alternative check:
In practice, you can test wildcard search patterns in a sample Word document containing both words. Turn on Use wildcards in the Find and Replace dialog and try different patterns. According to typical certification exam expectations, the character set pattern ble[e2]d is presented as the correct answer for matching both “bled” and “bleed”. This aligns with how such questions are designed, even though more precise patterns might be constructed in a real project.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, ble{2}d, implies a repetition pattern that does not reflect Word wildcard syntax correctly for this scenario. Option B, ble{1,}d, is not a valid pattern for this specific requirement. Option C, ble{e2}d, misuses curly braces for character sets. Only option D uses square brackets, which is the correct syntax for a character set in Word wildcard patterns and matches the style expected in certification answers.

Common Pitfalls:
People sometimes confuse regular expression syntax with Word wildcard syntax. Curly braces, for example, have different meanings in different engines. In Word, you typically use brackets for character sets and question marks for single character wildcards. Another pitfall is overcomplicating the pattern when a simple character set or optional character would suffice in an exam context.

Final Answer:
The wildcard pattern ble[e2]d is the best choice to find both “bleed” and “bled” in this exam scenario.