The following pictures depict electric field lines for various charge configurations.

In figure (a) identify the signs of two charges and find the ratio `| (q_1)/(q_2) |`

Explanation

The electric field lines start at `q_2` and end at `q_1`. In figure (a), `q_2` is positive and `q_1` is negative. The number of lines starting from `q_2` is 18 and number of the lines ending at `q_1` is 6. So `q_2` has greater magnitude. The ratio of `| (q_1)/(q_2) | = (N_1)/( N_2) = (6)/(18) = (1)/(3)`. It implies that `|q_2| = 3 |q_1|`