Add 1 to both sides
Multiply both sides by 4
Take the square root of both sides
Subtract 5 from both sides
In this problem, you are trying to isolate the x. In order to do that you have to get rid of all the other numbers surrounding it. The first thing you're going to do is move the 1. To get rid of the -1 you have to do a +1. What you do to one side you have to do to the other. Therefore, you have to add +1. Next, you will move the 1/4 by multiplying by the reciprocal which is 4 (because 1/4 x 4 = 1, this gets rid of the 1/4 on the left side). After that you will do the opposite of square, which is to take the square root. Lastly, you will subtract the five for the same reason you added the 1.
