To determine whether the sum of 0.52 + 0.61 is less than or greater than 1, we can simply add the two numbers together:
0.52 + 0.61 = 1.13
Since 1.13 is greater than 1, the correct explanation would be:
"The sum is greater than 1 because the sum shades more than one hundredths grid."
This response correctly reflects that the total exceeds 1.