What is the first step to simplify the expression 5x – x(2 – 3x) + 2?

The term −x is multiplied by the entire quantity (2 − 3x), so the first step is to distribute −x to both terms inside the parentheses: −x(2) + (−x)(−3x). This gives −2x + 3x². Therefore, the correct choice is “distribute −x to the terms inside the parentheses.”

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