What are the leading coefficient and degree of the polynomial? \[ \begin{array}{l}12 x-15 x^{6}+5 x^{4}-2 x^{7} \\ \text { Leading coefficient: } \\ \text { Degree: } \square\end{array} \]

1. Write the polynomial in standard form, arranging the terms in descending order of the exponent: \[ -2x^{7} - 15x^{6} + 5x^{4} + 12x \] 2. The degree of a polynomial is the highest exponent of \( x \) that appears in the polynomial. In this case, the highest exponent is \( 7 \). 3. The leading coefficient is the coefficient of the term with the highest power. Here, the term is \(-2x^{7}\), so the leading coefficient is \(-2\). \[ \text{Leading coefficient: } -2 \] \[ \text{Degree: } 7 \]