When you add the absolute value lines around a negative number, it becomes a positive number. If you add them to a positive number, it stays positive. Since the student added them to -9, the number would become 9 which if greater than 4.
Answer:Sample Response: No, |–9| is greater than |4|. Absolute value is the distance from 0. –9 is 9 units from 0, and 4 is 4 units from zero. –9 is a greater distance from 0 than 4, so it has a greater absolute value.