The U.S. Congress has a total of 535 members. If the number of representatives is 65 less
than five times the number of senators, how many senators and how many representatives
are in Congress? HINT: Let N = the number of Senate members
Total number of congressional members =
Expression for number of House members =
Expression for number of Senate members =
Expression for total members in Congress =
Number of Senate members (N) =
Number of House members =

I really dislike the way they laid this out for you, as it's a guessing game as to what to put for each line. There are several ways to solve this problem, so forcing this particular sequence of logical steps is (IMO) not helpful. But be that as it may...

They suggest letting N = number of Senate members. You will also need a variable for the number of House of Representatives members - lets call it R. To get you started then, the total number of members of congress is:

R+N = 535.

For the second line use the fact that "the number of representatives is 65 less
than five times the number of senators." Can you put this in terms of an equation for R =... ? Once you have that, the rest should come pretty easy. Post back with your attempt and we'll help you along if you need it.