Excel for Beginners Course: Sorting, filtering and tables

1. Question 1 of 17

   On which ribbon tab is the Sort & Filter group with the Sort and Filter commands?

   • AData
   • BInsert
   • CView
   • DReview
   Show answer

   Answer: A. Data

   The Sort & Filter group is on the Data tab.

2. Question 2 of 17

   You want the largest sales amounts at the top of a column of numbers. Which sort do you choose?

   • ASort A to Z
   • BSort Oldest to Newest
   • CSort Smallest to Largest
   • DSort Largest to Smallest
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Sort Largest to Smallest

   For numbers, Sort Largest to Smallest puts the biggest values first.

3. Question 3 of 17

   In the inventory sheet below, you sort the data by Qty, Smallest to Largest. Which item ends up in row 2?

   	A	B	C	D
   1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
   2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
   3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
   4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
   5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
   6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
   7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
   8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

   • ASafety vests
   • BFlashlights
   • CRadios
   • DBatteries (AA)
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Radios

   Sorting smallest to largest puts the lowest quantity first. Radios have the lowest Qty (6).

4. Question 4 of 17

   In the inventory sheet below, you sort the Item column A to Z (with the whole table selected). Which item ends up in row 2?

   	A	B	C	D
   1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
   2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
   3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
   4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
   5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
   6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
   7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
   8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

   • ATraffic cones
   • BBatteries (AA)
   • CSafety vests
   • DFlashlights
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Batteries (AA)

   A to Z sorts text alphabetically, so "Batteries (AA)" comes first.

5. Question 5 of 17

   In the inventory sheet below, you filter the Category column to show only PPE. How many data rows are still visible?

   	A	B	C	D
   1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
   2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
   3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
   4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
   5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
   6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
   7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
   8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

   • A3
   • B4
   • C7
   • D2
   Show answer

   Answer: A. 3

   A filter hides the rows that don't match. Safety vests, Hard hats and Gloves are PPE, so 3 rows stay visible.

6. Question 6 of 17

   What happens to rows that do not match a filter?

   • AThey are sorted to the bottom
   • BThey are deleted from the sheet for good
   • CThey are hidden for now, not deleted
   • DThey move to a new worksheet
   Show answer

   Answer: C. They are hidden for now, not deleted

   Filters temporarily hide data so you can focus on what you need. Clearing the filter shows all the rows again.

7. Question 7 of 17

   You want to sort a list by Department, and then by Last name within each department. What do you use?

   • AFreeze Panes on the View tab
   • BSort A to Z twice on the Department column
   • CThe Sort dialog box and Add Level
   • DThe Total Row check box
   Show answer

   Answer: C. The Sort dialog box and Add Level

   In the Sort dialog you set the first column, then select Add Level for the next one. Levels higher in the list sort first.

8. Question 8 of 17

   In the inventory sheet below, you sort by Category (A to Z) and then by Qty (Largest to Smallest). Which item ends up in row 4?

   	A	B	C	D
   1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
   2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
   3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
   4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
   5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
   6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
   7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
   8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

   • ASafety vests
   • BRadios
   • CFlashlights
   • DGloves
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Gloves

   Electronics comes first (Batteries 120, then Radios 6), then PPE starts with the largest Qty, Gloves (64), in row 4.

9. Question 9 of 17

   You selected only one column inside a larger list and chose Sort. Excel asks whether to expand the selection. What should you usually choose, and why?

   • ACancel, because a list can't be sorted
   • BContinue with the current selection, so the sort is faster
   • CExpand the selection, so each row's data stays together
   • DContinue with the current selection, so other columns stay put
   Show answer

   Answer: C. Expand the selection, so each row's data stays together

   Sorting only part of a list can separate values from the rest of their row. Expanding the selection keeps rows together.

10. Question 10 of 17

    In the inventory sheet below, you use Number Filters > Between to show Qty from 10 to 70. How many data rows are visible?

    	A	B	C	D
    1	Item	Category	Qty	Unit cost
    2	Safety vests	PPE	42	12.50
    3	Hard hats	PPE	15	24.00
    4	Flashlights	Tools	8	18.75
    5	Radios	Electronics	6	149.00
    6	Batteries (AA)	Electronics	120	0.85
    7	Gloves	PPE	64	4.20
    8	Traffic cones	Site	30	16.40

    • A5
    • B3
    • C2
    • D4
    Show answer

    Answer: D. 4

    Safety vests (42), Hard hats (15), Gloves (64) and Traffic cones (30) are between 10 and 70, so 4 rows are visible.

11. Question 11 of 17

    You have selected a cell in a list. Which command turns the list into a formatted Excel table?

    • AData > Filter, then pick a column
    • BHome > Format as Table, then pick a style
    • CView > Freeze Panes, then pick a row
    • DPage Layout > Print Area > Set Print Area
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Home > Format as Table, then pick a style

    Format as Table on the Home tab asks you to pick a style, confirm the range and say whether the table has headers.

12. Question 12 of 17

    When you create a table, what does the "My table has headers" check box tell Excel?

    • AThat the first column should be frozen
    • BThat every column holds numbers
    • CThat row 1 holds column names, not data
    • DThat the table should print on one page
    Show answer

    Answer: C. That row 1 holds column names, not data

    Tick it when your top row has labels such as Name or Hours, so Excel uses them as column headers.

13. Question 13 of 17

    In an Excel table, you type a formula in one cell of an empty column. What does Excel do?

    • AIt deletes the other rows in the table
    • BIt fills the formula down the whole column
    • CIt turns off the table's filter arrows
    • DIt changes the formula to an absolute reference
    Show answer

    Answer: B. It fills the formula down the whole column

    This is a calculated column: the formula is applied to all the other cells in that column of the table.

14. Question 14 of 17

    You type a new entry in the row directly below the last row of a table. What happens?

    • AExcel shows an error message
    • BThe entry is hidden by the table's filter
    • CA new worksheet is created for it
    • DThe table grows to include the new row
    Show answer

    Answer: D. The table grows to include the new row

    Typing just below or just to the right of a table makes the table expand to include the new data.

15. Question 15 of 17

    The data below is an Excel table with a Total Row that sums Hours. You filter the Shift column to show only Night. What does the total show?

    	A	B	C	D
    1	Date	Shift	Guard	Hours
    2	Oct 5	Day	Kim	8
    3	Oct 5	Night	Raj	10
    4	Oct 6	Day	Lee	8
    5	Oct 6	Night	Kim	10
    6	Oct 7	Day	Raj	7.5
    7	Oct 7	Night	Lee	10

    • A53.5
    • B30
    • C3
    • D23.5
    Show answer

    Answer: B. 30

    The Total Row uses the SUBTOTAL function, which ignores rows hidden by a filter. Only the three Night shifts count: 10 + 10 + 10 = 30.

16. Question 16 of 17

    You want the header row to stay on screen while you scroll down a long list. What do you use?

    • APage Layout > Print Area
    • BHome > Format as Table > Banded Rows
    • CData > Filter > (Select All)
    • DView > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row
    Show answer

    Answer: D. View > Freeze Panes > Freeze Top Row

    Freeze Top Row on the View tab keeps row 1 visible as you scroll.

17. Question 17 of 17

    You want rows 1–2 and columns A–B to stay visible while you scroll. Which cell do you select before choosing Freeze Panes?

    • AA1
    • BC3
    • CC1
    • DB2
    Show answer

    Answer: B. C3

    Select the cell below the rows and to the right of the columns you want to keep. That is C3.

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