Question

If a scale is represented by a ratio less than 1, what do we know about the actual object

Answer 1

I understand by "ratio less then 1" for example this:

0.4:1

You can read this scale like this: 0.4 cm on the map corresponds to 1 cm of the actual object.

so let's say the object is 0.4 cm on the map: then it's 1 cm in reality, bigger!

so a ratio less than one means the actual object is bigger!