Here's all of the solutions, written out.

2 (x + 4) - 5 (x - 3) = 32
2x + 8 -5x +15 = 32
-3x +23 = 32
(-3x +23) - 23 = 32 - 23
-3x = 9
x = -3

3 x - 8 (3 - x) = 53
3x - 24 + 8x = 53
3x + 8x - 24 = 53
(11x - 24) + 24 = 53 + 24
11x = 77
x = 7

Use the associative and distributive properties to solve for x. :thumbsup:

Hope this helps you understand it better.