General Basics of Excel Questions

🔹 General Basics of Excel

Q1. What is Microsoft Excel?
Answer:
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program developed by Microsoft. It is used for data entry, calculation, analysis, and visualization. Businesses, students, and researchers use Excel to manage and process information effectively.

Q2. What are Rows and Columns in Excel?
Answer:

Rows run horizontally and are numbered (1, 2, 3…).
Columns run vertically and are labeled with letters (A, B, C…).
Their intersection is called a Cell. For example, A1 refers to column A, row 1.

Q3. What is a Cell Address?
Answer:
The unique location of a cell is called its address, represented by the column letter + row number. Example: C5 = Column C, Row 5.

Q4. What is the default extension of an Excel file?
Answer:

Excel 2007 and later: .xlsx
Excel 2003 and earlier: .xls
Macro-enabled workbook: .xlsm

Q5. What is the difference between a Worksheet and a Workbook?
Answer:

Worksheet: A single sheet in Excel (like a page).
Workbook: A collection of worksheets stored in one file.

Q6. What is the maximum number of rows and columns in Excel?
Answer:

Excel 2007 and later: 1,048,576 rows and 16,384 columns (A to XFD).
Excel 2003: 65,536 rows and 256 columns.

Q7. What is the Ribbon in Excel?
Answer:
The Ribbon is the top menu bar in Excel (Home, Insert, Page Layout, Formulas, Data, etc.). It contains commands grouped in tabs.

Q8. What is the Formula Bar in Excel?
Answer:
The Formula Bar is located above the worksheet. It displays the contents of the selected cell and allows you to enter or edit formulas and data.

Q9. What is the default sheet name in a new Excel workbook?
Answer:
By default, a new workbook contains Sheet1. Additional sheets are named Sheet2, Sheet3, etc.

Q10. What is the difference between Save and Save As?
Answer:

Save: Saves changes in the existing file.
Save As: Saves a copy of the file with a new name, type, or location.

Q11. What is the difference between XLS and XLSX?
Answer:

.xls: Old Excel format (up to 2003), limited storage.
.xlsx: New format (2007+), supports larger files, more functions, and better security.

Q12. What are Excel Templates?
Answer:
An Excel template (.xltx) is a pre-designed workbook that provides ready-made layouts, styles, and formulas for tasks like budgets, invoices, calendars, etc.

Q13. What is the difference between Relative, Absolute, and Mixed cell references?
Answer:

Relative (A1): Changes when copied.
Absolute ($A$1): Fixed, does not change.
Mixed (A$1 or $A1): Either row or column is fixed.

Q14. What is AutoFill in Excel?
Answer:
AutoFill automatically fills a series of values (dates, numbers, formulas, etc.) by dragging the fill handle of a cell.

Q15. What is the difference between COUNT, COUNTA, and COUNTBLANK?
Answer:

COUNT: Counts numeric values.
COUNTA: Counts all non-empty cells.
COUNTBLANK: Counts only empty cells.

Q16. What is the use of Conditional Formatting?
Answer:
Conditional Formatting changes the appearance of cells based on conditions. Example: Highlight sales > ₹50,000 in green.

Q17. What is the use of Merge & Center?
Answer:
Merge & Center combines multiple cells into one and centers the text inside.

Q18. What is the difference between a Formula and a Function?
Answer:

Formula: User-written equation (e.g., =A1+B1).
Function: Predefined formula in Excel (e.g., =SUM(A1:A10)).

Q19. What are the basic Arithmetic Operators in Excel?
Answer:

Addition (+)
Subtraction (-)
Multiplication (*)
Division (/)
Exponent (^)

Q20. What is the difference between Delete and Clear in Excel?
Answer:

Delete: Removes entire cell(s) and shifts other cells.
Clear: Removes contents/formatting but keeps the cell intact.

Q21. What is Freeze Panes?
Answer:
Freeze Panes allows you to lock rows/columns so they stay visible while scrolling. Example: Keeping the header row visible.

Q22. What is the difference between Wrap Text and Shrink to Fit?
Answer:

Wrap Text: Moves extra text to a new line within the same cell.
Shrink to Fit: Reduces font size to fit text inside a cell.

Q23. What is a Range in Excel?
Answer:
A Range is a group of selected cells. Example: A1:A10 means cells from A1 to A10.

Q24. What is the difference between Find and Replace?
Answer:

Find: Locates specific data in the worksheet.
Replace: Locates data and substitutes it with new data.

Q25. What is the shortcut key to create a new workbook in Excel?
Answer:
The shortcut is Ctrl + N.Formulas & Functions) right now in the same blog-ready style so you can publish it next?