Answer :
We begin by identifying all the monomials in the expression, and collect like terms where applicable.
[tex]\begin{gathered} 5x^2-9x^3-7x+1 \\ We\text{ drop all the constants and coefficients;} \\ x^2-x^3-x \\ \operatorname{Re}-\text{arrange from the variable with the highest exponent} \\ -x^3+x^2-x \\ deg(5x^2-9x^3-7x+1)=3 \end{gathered}[/tex]The degree of the polynomial is therefore 3, (the highest exponent)