3a*12 can a variable be multiplied by a constant

Simply 8x squared + 5(7x squared- x) - 2x =

The annual snowfall in a town has a mean of 38 inches and a standard deviation of 10 inches. last year there were 63 inches of snow. find the number of standard deviations from the mean that is, rounded to two decimal places. 0.44 standard deviations below the mean 2.50 standard deviations below the mean 0.44 standard deviations above the mean 2.50 standard deviations above the mean

Does anyone know how to solve and graph this: 4 + | a + 2 | < 7the only part i don't get is the "4 +"