To simplify the given expression, we need to combine like terms. The expression consists of two polynomials. We will add the coefficients of the terms with the same degree.
Step 1: Combine Like Terms
We start with the expression:
\[
(7x^{2} - 5x - 1) + (-2x + 6)
\]
We will combine the like terms by grouping them based on their degrees.
Step 2: Grouping Terms
The expression can be rearranged as follows:
\[
7x^{2} + (-5x - 2x) + (-1 + 6)
\]
This simplifies to:
\[
7x^{2} - 7x + 5
\]
Step 3: Final Simplified Expression
The final simplified expression is:
\[
7x^{2} - 7x + 5
\]