Microsoft Excel General Knowledge 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the $ symbol do when placed before a column letter in a cell reference, such as $A1?
- Locks the column so it doesn't change when the formula is copied (Correct answer)
- Locks both the row and column
- Locks the row so it doesn't change
- Converts the value to currency format
Correct answer: Locks the column so it doesn't change when the formula is copied
A $ before the column letter creates an absolute column reference, keeping the column fixed when the formula is copied horizontally.
Question 2: Which function returns the number of cells in a range that contain numbers?
- COUNT (Correct answer)
- COUNTA
- COUNTIF
- SUM
Correct answer: COUNT
COUNT counts only cells containing numeric values, ignoring text, blanks, and logical values.
Question 3: What is the result of entering =5+3*2 in a cell?
- 11 (Correct answer)
- 16
- 10
- 13
Correct answer: 11
Excel follows standard order of operations (PEMDAS), so multiplication (3*2=6) is performed before addition (5+6=11).
Question 4: Which Excel feature allows you to define a meaningful name for a cell or range to use in formulas?
- Name Box / Named Ranges (Correct answer)
- Cell Styles
- Format Cells
- Conditional Formatting
Correct answer: Name Box / Named Ranges
Named Ranges (defined via the Name Box or Name Manager) let you assign descriptive names like 'TaxRate' to cells for use in formulas.
Question 5: Which of the following paste options keeps only the calculated values without formulas?
- Paste Values (Correct answer)
- Paste Formulas
- Paste All
- Paste Formats
Correct answer: Paste Values
Paste Values (Ctrl+Shift+V or via the Paste Special menu) pastes the result of formulas as static numbers.
Question 6: What does the TRIM function do in Excel?
- Removes extra spaces from text, leaving only single spaces between words (Correct answer)
- Cuts text to a specified length
- Removes numbers from a text string
- Deletes blank rows from a range
Correct answer: Removes extra spaces from text, leaving only single spaces between words
TRIM removes leading, trailing, and extra internal spaces from a text string, leaving only single spaces between words.
Question 7: How do you quickly select an entire column in Excel?
- Click the column header letter (Correct answer)
- Press Ctrl+C
- Right-click a cell and choose Select Column
- Press Shift+Down Arrow
Correct answer: Click the column header letter
Clicking the column header (the letter at the top of the column) selects the entire column instantly.
Microsoft Excel General Knowledge 3
What does the $ symbol do when placed before a column letter in a cell reference, such as $A1?