Which is better for bass. A point that gradually tapers into deep water say 25 feet. Or one that drops off sharply into deep water?

I think there are a bunch of other factors to consider. All things being equal, bottom comp, grass or no grass etc. I would think the sharp drop would be better

This is what you are looking for. If you have ever driven through the hill country and look at the long points coming off each mountain; you will see a irregular feature on every one of them. The sharper the drop the more likely the point will have a great feature that may be a ledge or just part of the point covered in larger heavy rock.

Imagine this point being under water in your favorite lake. You need depth finder knowledge to drive and easily find these and mark them for future reference. Frequent them often at different times of the day to develop the feeding pattern that the bass have developed on that irregular feature. You goal is to find these features on every point in your lake. Then work them until you find the best 3 irregular features holding fish. It is a lot of work but you should be able to look at 3 points per day while on the water. Some points will have a sweet spot on both sides. It has been my experience that one irregular feature out of 20 will hold fish at some given time during the day. This is a lot of looking and fishing to come up with 3 great spots. Keep in mind that a great feature may never produce bass during the day. They may be using it during night time hours. If you are a tournament fisherman, this is a must have plan to put together a win.

I have 2 answers to this...

1.) YES

2.) It depends on the terrain (read 21 dog years and you get this joke)

From my experience it really depends on the particular lake and the time of year.