If you think about it in terms of money, two debts put together make an even bigger debt.

(-3)³ - 4² =
-27 - 16 =
-27 + (-16) = 
-43

The answer would be 11 if the problem were slightly different.

(3)³ - 4² =
27 - 16 =
11

The first part of the above comment is an excellent explanation, but the second part has a typo. The answer is just 11 there, not -11.

Thank you very much for the explanation! I understand now. Also, I have been practicing these kinds of math problems and now that I look at this problem again, I see the correct answer, not the wrong one.

Thank you both for your input and explanations! :)

Thanks for catching that, Lynn.