Pieter wrote the equation 7h – 5(3h – 8) = –72 to model the number of hours it takes to dig a well to a level of 72 feet below sea level. How many hours will it take to dig the well?

Distribute −5 across the parentheses: 7h − 15h + 40 = −72. Combine like terms and subtract 40 from both sides to get −8h = −112, so h = 14; it will take 14 hours, choice C.

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