Step 1: Understanding the Concept
Growth can be measured as an increase in cell number. The ratio of change in number to the time interval is the plain growth rate.
Step 2: Identify the term
Change in number divided by change in time gives the total increase per unit time. This is the absolute growth rate.
Relative growth rate divides this increase by the initial size, so it is not asked here.
Step 3: Why the other options fail
Crude birth rate and specific birth rate are terms of population ecology and do not describe cell growth.
Final Answer:
The ratio is called the absolute growth rate.
\[ \boxed{\text{(A) }\text{Absolute Growth Rate}} \]