Ratios Introduction — Answer Key
Part A: Fix the Sentence
Each sentence has an error. Rewrite it correctly on the line.
1. Fix the sentence:
The ratio of 4 cats to 7 dogs is wrote as 4-7.
Corrected: The ratio of 4 cats to 7 dogs is written as 4:7.
Ratios use a colon, the word to, or a fraction bar, never a hyphen between the parts.
2. Fix the sentence:
Ratios compares one quantity with other quantity.
Corrected: A ratio compares one quantity with another quantity.
Subject-verb agreement requires a ratio compares, and another fits before a singular noun.
3. Fix the sentence:
There is 6 red apples and 4 green apples in ratio 6:4.
Corrected: There are 6 red apples and 4 green apples in a ratio of 6:4.
Plural nouns require the verb are, and the noun ratio needs the article a before it.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. If there are 3 stars and 5 moons, the ratio of stars to moons is 3:5.
A ratio of stars to moons compares 3 stars with 5 moons, written as 3:5.
2. The ratio 4 to 9 written with a colon is 4:9.
Both 4 to 9 and 4:9 mean the same comparison; only the symbol changes.
3. A picture has 7 squares and 2 triangles; the ratio of triangles to squares is 2:7.
Order matters in ratios; triangles to squares puts 2 before 7, giving 2:7.
4. Written as a fraction, the ratio 5 to 8 looks like 5/8.
Ratios can be shown as fractions, with the first quantity above the fraction bar.
Part C: Short Answer
Answer each question in one or two complete sentences.
1. Name the three ways to write a ratio of 6 cats to 11 dogs.
Sample answer: You can write it as 6:11, 6 to 11, or 6/11.
All three notations show the same comparison between 6 cats and 11 dogs.
2. Why does the order of numbers matter in a ratio?
Sample answer: Order matches the order of the items being compared, so swapping numbers changes the meaning.
A ratio names items in a specific order, and reversing it gives a different comparison.