Certified in Public Health (CPH) Practice Exam

Which of the following terms is expressed as a ratio?

1. Male Births / Male + Female Births

2. Female Births / Male + Female Births

3. Male Births / Female Births

4. Stillbirths / Male + Female Births

The correct answer is: Male Births / Female Births

The term that is expressed as a ratio is represented by comparing two quantities directly, often indicating a relationship between them. In the context of the provided options, the ratio of Male Births to Female Births is a straightforward comparison of the number of male births to the number of female births. This is a classic example of a ratio, which expresses how many times one quantity contains or is contained within another. To further clarify, the other choices express proportions relative to a total or encompass different relationships. For instance, options involving total births (like Male + Female Births) or specifically looking at stillbirths in relation to the total number of births illustrate a part-to-whole comparison, often interpreted as a fraction rather than a ratio of two distinct entities. Thus, while all the given options relate to birth statistics, only the option representing Male Births to Female Births conveys a direct ratio format, illustrating the comparative magnitude of one category against another without a total denominator involved.