a line is perpendicular to
y= -1/4x -9
what is the slope of this perpendicular line?

Reason: Any two perpendicular lines will have their slopes multiply to -1, where neither line is vertical.
The given line has slope -1/4 and the perpendicular slope is 4
(-1/4)*4 = -1
Put another way: the answer is 4 because it's the negative reciprocal of -1/4.