If we let "x" be the width of the rectangle, then the length would be "x + 5" (since it's 5 inches longer than the width).
The area of a rectangle is given by the formula A = length x width. Substituting in the expressions we found for the length and width, we get:
A = (x + 5)x
Simplifying this expression, we get:
A = x^2 + 5x
Therefore, the expression that could be used to represent the area of the rectangle is "x^2 + 5x".