To solve the equation \(-2x - 5 = -21\), we can follow these two steps:
Step 1: Add 5 to both sides of the equation to isolate the term with \(x\).
\[ -2x - 5 + 5 = -21 + 5 \] \[ -2x = -16 \]
Step 2: Divide both sides by -2 to solve for \(x\).
\[ \frac{-2x}{-2} = \frac{-16}{-2} \] \[ x = 8 \]
The solution to the equation is \(x = 8\).
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