To simplify the expression (2x^2 + 3x - 5) - (4x^2 - 2x + 7), you can combine like terms. Start by distributing the negative sign to the terms inside the second parentheses, which gives you -4x^2 + 2x - 7. Then, combine the like terms by subtracting the corresponding coefficients of the same degree. In this case, subtract 4x^2 from 2x^2 to get -2x^2, add 2x and 3x to get 5x, and subtract 7. Therefore, the simplified expression is -2x^2 + 5x - 12.