Final answer:
Carson's classmates preferred mysteries or funny books can be determined by comparing the ratio of classmates who chose mysteries to the ratio of classmates who chose funny books.
Step-by-step explanation:
This question is a mathematical problem that involves ratios. To determine if Carson's classmates preferred mysteries or funny books, we can compare the ratio of classmates who chose mysteries to the ratio of classmates who chose funny books. The given information tells us that for every 4 classmates who chose mysteries, there were 7 classmates who chose funny books.
Let's assume the number of classmates who chose mysteries is 4x and the number of classmates who chose funny books is 7x. The ratios can be expressed as 4x:7x.
To find the total number of classmates, we add the number of classmates who chose mysteries and the number of classmates who chose funny books. The total is 4x + 7x = 11x.
Finally, to determine the ratio of classmates who preferred mysteries to classmates who preferred funny books, we divide the number of classmates who chose mysteries (4x) by the number of classmates who chose funny books (7x). The ratio is 4x:7x.