BASIC EXCEL

With QS & ANS

Suman Chakraborty
Basic Excel with Questions & Answers
Excel is a tool that lets you work with numbers and data! This guide will help you
understand the basics, learn some popular formulas,
and practice with questions and answers. Let's make learning Excel fun and easy!

1. Fundamentals of Excel
Excel Workbook: A workbook is like a book that holds different sheets where you can
work with your data. Each workbook can have many sheets.

Worksheet: Each page in an Excel workbook is called a worksheet. It’s a big grid made up
of rows (going across) and columns (going up and down).

Cells: A cell is a single box where a row and a column meet. Each cell has an address, like A1
or B2. Cells are where you can enter your data.

Rows and Columns: Rows go across and are numbered (1, 2, 3…), while columns go up and
down and are lettered (A, B, C…). Together, they make a grid.

Formulas: Formulas are special instructions that tell Excel to do calculations, like adding or
multiplying numbers. Every formula in Excel starts with an '=' sign.

2. Popular Excel Formulas

SUM: Adds up all the numbers in a selected range of cells. Example: =SUM(A1:A5) will add
all numbers from A1 to A5.

AVERAGE: Calculates the average (or mean) of numbers in a range. Example:

=AVERAGE(B1:B10) finds the average of numbers from B1 to B10.

MIN: Finds the smallest number in a range of cells. Example: =MIN(C1:C10) will give the
smallest number from C1 to C10.

MAX: Finds the largest number in a range. Example: =MAX(D1:D10) will give the largest
number from D1 to D10.

COUNT: Counts the number of cells in a range that contain numbers. Example:
=COUNT(E1:E10) will count how many cells have numbers in E1 to E10.
3. Example Functions
• Try using =SUM(A1:A5) to add up all the numbers in cells A1 to A5. Excel will show the
total!
• Use =AVERAGE(B1:B5) to find the average of numbers in cells B1 to B5. It’s a great way
to find the middle value of a range of numbers.
• Type =MIN(C1:C5) to find the smallest number in cells C1 to C5. Excel will help you
quickly identify the smallest value!
• Try =MAX(D1:D5) to get the largest number in cells D1 to D5. Perfect for finding the
highest score or biggest number!
• Count the numbers in cells E1 to E5 using =COUNT(E1:E5). Excel will show you how
many cells have numbers in that range.

4. Fun Facts About Excel!

• Did you know? Excel was first released in 1985! Since then, it has been helping people
around the world organize data and do calculations.
• Excel can handle over a million rows and thousands of columns in one worksheet!
That’s a lot of data!
• You can make colorful charts in Excel to show your data. This makes your information
easy to understand and fun to look at!
• Excel is used in many places, like schools, offices, hospitals, and even sports teams, to
keep track of information.
• Formulas in Excel are powerful tools that let you calculate things automatically – saving
you time and energy!
1. What is a cell in Excel?

• A cell is a box where a row and column meet, where you can enter data.

2. How do you start a formula in Excel?

• A formula in Excel starts with the "=" sign.

3. What does the SUM function do?

• It adds up all the numbers in a selected range of cells.

4. How do you save a workbook quickly?

• Press Ctrl + S on your keyboard.

5. What does the MIN function do?

• It finds the smallest number in a range of cells.

6. What is the address of the first cell in Excel?

• The first cell is A1.

7. How can you make text bold in Excel?

• Click the B button in the toolbar or press Ctrl + B.

8. What does the AVERAGE function do?

• It calculates the average (or mean) of numbers in a selected range.

9. How do you open a new workbook?

• Press Ctrl + N on your keyboard.

10. How can you count numbers in a range?

• Use the COUNT function to count cells with numbers in them.

11. What is a workbook?

• A workbook is a file in Excel that contains multiple sheets (worksheets).

12. How do you copy text or numbers?

 • Select the cell, press Ctrl + C to copy, and Ctrl + V to paste.

13. What does the MAX function do?

• It finds the largest number in a range of cells.

14. How do you rename a worksheet?

• Right-click the sheet tab and select Rename.

15. What does the COUNTIF function do?

• It counts cells that meet a certain condition (like containing a specific word or
number).

16. How do you change the color of a cell?

• Go to the Home tab, click Fill Color, and choose a color.

17. What is a formula?

• A formula is a calculation or operation performed in a cell, starting with "=".

18. How do you add a chart in Excel?

• Select your data, go to the Insert tab, and choose a chart type.

19. What does the IF function do?

• The IF function checks if a condition is met and returns one value if true and another
if false.

20. How can you wrap text in a cell?

• Go to the Home tab and select Wrap Text.

21. What is the shortcut to undo an action?

• Press Ctrl + Z to undo the last action.

22. How do you delete a row?

• Right-click on the row number and choose Delete.

23. What does the CONCATENATE function do?

• It joins text from different cells into one cell.

24. How can you freeze panes in Excel?

• Go to the View tab and select Freeze Panes to keep rows or columns in place.
25. What is a range in Excel?

• A range is a group of cells that you select, often for use in a formula.

26. How do you insert a row in Excel?

• Right-click on a row number and select Insert.

27. What does the NOW function do?

• It displays the current date and time.

28. How can you sort data in Excel?

• Select your data, go to the Data tab, and click Sort.

29. What is the function of the AutoSum button?

• It automatically adds up numbers in a selected range.

30. How do you create a dropdown list in a cell?

• Go to Data > Data Validation and select List.

31. What does the VLOOKUP function do?

• It looks up a value in a table and returns a related result from another column.

32. How do you merge cells?

• Select the cells, go to the Home tab, and click Merge & Center.

33. How do you format numbers as currency?

• Go to the Home tab and select Currency from the number format dropdown.

34. What is the purpose of conditional formatting?

• It changes cell appearance based on specified conditions.

35. How do you move to the next worksheet?

• Press Ctrl + Page Down.

36. What does the COUNTBLANK function do?

• It counts the number of empty cells in a range.

37. How can you protect a worksheet?

• Go to Review > Protect Sheet to prevent changes to the worksheet.

38. What does the TODAY function do?

• It displays the current date.

39. How do you adjust column width?

• Drag the boundary to the right of the column header, or double-click to auto-fit.

40. What is a pivot table?

• A tool for summarizing and analyzing large sets of data.

41. How can you filter data?

• Go to Data > Filter to view specific data in your range.

42. What does the TRIM function do?

• It removes extra spaces from text in a cell.

43. How do you duplicate a worksheet?

• Right-click the sheet tab and select Move or Copy.

44. How do you remove gridlines in Excel?

• Go to View and uncheck the Gridlines box.

45. What does the ROUND function do?

• It rounds numbers to a specified number of digits.

46. How do you find the address of a cell?

• The address is given by the column letter and row number, like B3.

47. How do you insert a hyperlink in a cell?

• Go to Insert > Hyperlink and enter the URL or link.

48. What is the IFERROR function used for?

• It returns a specified value if a formula results in an error.

49. How do you find the total number of cells in a selection?

• Look at the count in the Excel status bar or use COUNTA for non-empty cells.

50. How do you save a workbook as a PDF?

• Go to File > Save As and select PDF as the file format.