1. **State the problem:** We need to find the slope $m$ of the line passing through the points $(-4, 5)$ and $(-6, 3)$. 2. **Formula for slope:** The slope $m$ between two points $(x_1, y_1)$ and $(x_2, y_2)$ is given by $$m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}$$ 3. **Substitute the points:** Using $(-4, 5)$ as $(x_1, y_1)$ and $(-6, 3)$ as $(x_2, y_2)$, we get $$m = \frac{3 - 5}{-6 - (-4)} = \frac{3 - 5}{-6 + 4}$$ 4. **Simplify numerator and denominator:** $$m = \frac{-2}{-2}$$ 5. **Cancel common factors:** $$m = \frac{\cancel{-2}}{\cancel{-2}} = 1$$ 6. **Final answer:** The slope of the line in simplest form is $$m = 1$$