Answer
Base: 4
Exponent: 2
Work Step by Step
We know that an exponential expression is in the form $a^{n}$ (where $a$ is the base and $n$ is the exponent).
Therefore, the expression $-4^{2}$ has a base of 4 and an exponent of 2. Since the negative sign is not in parentheses with the 4, we know that the exponent is only applied to the 4.