Operations with Negative #

GRE Quant Problem Solving
1

Hi! For the PrepSwift Operations with Negative numbers question #6: “x equals the sum of a negative number with an even exponent and a negative number with an odd exponent” -

How do I know if this question is referencing ex: (-5)^2 or -5^2 based on the wording alone?

2

It’s the first one, I think

3

x = p^a + q^b where p < 0, a is even, q < 0 and b is odd.