9. Let $f ( x ) = \ln x , 0 < a < b$. If $p = f ( \sqrt { a b } ) , q = f \left( \frac { a + b } { 2 } \right)$,\\
$r = \frac { 1 } { 2 } ( f ( a ) + f ( b ) )$, then the correct relation is\\
A. $q = r < p$\\
B. $q = r > p$\\
C. $p = r < q$\\
D. $p = r > q$