What Is a Ratio, Really?

A ratio compares two quantities of the same kind. If a class has 12 boys and 18 girls, the ratio of boys to girls is 12:18, which simplifies to 2:3. I tell my students to read a ratio like a recipe: it tells you how much of one thing goes with another, not how many there are in total. That one idea unlocks every question on this page.

Practical Ratio in Money, Class Data and Recipes

Ratios show up wherever we share, spend or compare. In this worksheet your child works with a class of 12 boys and 18 girls, Hira's score of 36 out of 50, and 6 kg of apples costing Rs. 1,350. I picked these because they feel like real life, not a textbook. When a ratio problem feels stuck, I ask students to write the two numbers down first, then simplify, then answer. That order rarely fails.

What Is Inside This Worksheet?

This is a 4-page printable PDF. Section A has 4 Solve and Simplify questions. Section B is one table-based question with 5 parts, using a Science marks table. Section C is Match the Columns with 4 everyday scenarios. Section D has 4 fill-in-the-blanks questions. Section E has 4 short-answer questions. Section F has 4 real-life problems, with the last two marked Challenging Level, including Maria's salary shared in the ratio 3:5 and a class where 72 out of 100 students passed.

Key Concepts Covered

• Ratio as a comparison of two quantities
• Simplifying ratios to lowest terms
• Reading ratio tables and class data
• Ratio in money, marks and recipes
• Sharing quantities in a given ratio
• Ratio problems with a challenging twist
• Common Core 6.RP.A.3

How Students Learn

Students first simplify plain ratios, then read a marks table and match real scenarios to their ratios. Only after that do they write short explanations and solve full real-life problems, showing each step. I find this order builds speed without skipping understanding.

Try These Three Yourself

1. A recipe uses 3 cups of flour for every 2 cups of sugar. How much sugar goes with 9 cups of flour? Answer: 6 cups.
2. The ratio of red to blue pens is 3:2 and there are 15 pens in total. How many are red? Answer: 9 red pens.
3. Ali scored 45 out of 60 and Sara scored 30 out of 40. Who did better by ratio? Answer: both the same, 3:4.

Why Parents and Teachers Will Find It Useful

Use this worksheet for a first ratio lesson in Grade 6, as homework, for homeschool or one-to-one tutoring, or as a quick check before rates and percentages. Because every question comes from a real situation, it quickly shows which students can use ratios and which ones are still just writing numbers with a colon between them.