AAT L3 Spreadsheets for Accounting 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Excel, the =ROUND(3.456,2) function will return:
- 3.4
- 3.46 (Correct answer)
- 3.45
- 3.5
Correct answer: 3.46
ROUND(3.456,2) rounds the number 3.456 to 2 decimal places. The third decimal is 6 (≥5), so the second decimal rounds up from 5 to 6, giving 3.46.
Question 2: What does the Excel function =COUNTA(A1:A10) calculate?
- The sum of all numerical values in A1:A10
- The number of cells in A1:A10 that contain any value (text or numbers) (Correct answer)
- The average of cells A1:A10
- The count of cells containing only numbers
Correct answer: The number of cells in A1:A10 that contain any value (text or numbers)
COUNTA counts all non-empty cells in the range, regardless of whether they contain numbers, text, dates, or errors — unlike COUNT, which only counts cells with numerical values.
Question 3: Which Excel function returns the largest value from a range?
- LARGE
- HIGH
- MAX (Correct answer)
- PEAK
Correct answer: MAX
MAX returns the largest numerical value from a range of cells. LARGE(range,k) returns the k-th largest value; MIN returns the smallest value.
Question 4: Data validation in Excel is used to:
- Protect cells from being overwritten
- Restrict the type or range of data that can be entered into a cell (Correct answer)
- Calculate totals automatically
- Apply formatting to a range
Correct answer: Restrict the type or range of data that can be entered into a cell
Data validation controls what users can enter into a cell — for example, allowing only whole numbers within a range, dates, or values from a drop-down list — reducing data entry errors.
Question 5: A named range in Excel allows you to:
- Give a cell range a descriptive name to use in formulas instead of cell references (Correct answer)
- Change the sheet tab colour
- Create a chart from a data range
- Format cells as a table
Correct answer: Give a cell range a descriptive name to use in formulas instead of cell references
Named ranges assign a meaningful name (e.g., 'TaxRate' or 'SalesData') to a cell or range; this makes formulas more readable and easier to maintain than using cell references like B2:B20.
Question 6: The =CONCATENATE(A1,' ',B1) formula (or =A1&' '&B1) in Excel will:
- Multiply the values in A1 and B1
- Join the text in A1, a space, and B1 into a single text string (Correct answer)
- Count the characters in A1 and B1
- Compare the values in A1 and B1
Correct answer: Join the text in A1, a space, and B1 into a single text string
CONCATENATE (or the & operator) joins text strings together. =A1&' '&B1 combines the content of A1, then a space, then B1 into one continuous text string — useful for combining first and last names, for example.
AAT L3 Spreadsheets for Accounting 2
In Excel, the =ROUND(3.456,2) function will return: