To evaluate the expression \(-4 - (-9)\) using the concept of additive inverses, you can rewrite the expression. The subtraction of a negative number is equivalent to addition:
\[ -4 - (-9) = -4 + 9 \]
Now, you can simplify this:
\[ -4 + 9 = 5 \]
So, the correct response is:
Because negative 4 plus 9 is an equivalent expression, the answer is 5.