College Math Placement Practice Test

To simplify the expression 2(3x + 4) - 5, we start by distributing the 2 into the parentheses. This means we multiply both terms inside the parentheses by 2.

First, we calculate:

- 2 * 3x = 6x

- 2 * 4 = 8

So, the expression 2(3x + 4) simplifies to 6x + 8.

Next, we take the simplified result and subtract 5 from it:

6x + 8 - 5.

Now, we combine the constants:

8 - 5 = 3.

Therefore, the expression simplifies to:

6x + 3.

Thus, the final simplified expression is 6x + 3, which is the correct answer.

This process illustrates the importance of carefully applying the distributive property and combining like terms to arrive at the final simplified expression.