Google Sheets Data Sorting and Filtering Questions and Answers

Question 1

A project manager has a sheet with columns for 'Task Name', 'Assignee', 'Due Date', and 'Status'.
They want to see all tasks assigned to 'Alex' that are also marked as 'In Progress'.
Which of the following methods is the most efficient way to display only this specific data without creating a new dataset?

Accepted Answer

Apply a filter to the data, then set the 'Assignee' filter to 'Alex' and the 'Status' filter to 'In Progress'.

Answer

Use the SORT function in a new sheet to organize by Assignee and then by Status.

Answer

Manually hide rows that do not match the criteria.

Answer

Create a Pivot Table with 'Assignee' and 'Status' as rows.

Question 2

You are collaborating on a Google Sheet with several team members. You need to sort the data by 'Region' (A-Z) and then by 'Sales' (Largest to Smallest) for your own analysis, but you do not want to alter the default view for everyone else. What should you use?

Accepted Answer

A Filter View

Answer

Data > Sort range

Answer

The SORT() function in an empty area of the sheet

Answer

A standard Filter

Question 3

Which of the following describes the key difference between using the 'Sort range' menu option and the `SORT()` function?

Accepted Answer

The 'Sort range' menu option permanently reorders the original data, while the `SORT()` function creates a new, sorted array of data in a different location.

Answer

The `SORT()` function can only sort by one column, while 'Sort range' can handle multiple columns.

Answer

Only the 'Sort range' option can handle datasets with a header row.

Answer

The `SORT()` function modifies the original data in place, while 'Sort range' creates a copy.

Question 4

A user wants to filter a list of products in column A to show only items with a stock quantity (in column B) greater than 0 but less than 10. Which 'Filter by condition' custom formula would achieve this?

Accepted Answer

=AND(B2>0, B2<10)

Answer

=OR(B2>0, B2<10)

Answer

=FILTER(A2:B, B2:B > 0, B2:B < 10)

Answer

=B2>0 AND <10

Question 5

To sort a range of data first by 'Department' (Column C) in ascending order and then by 'Employee Last Name' (Column A) in ascending order, what is the correct procedure using the advanced sorting options?

Accepted Answer

Select the range, go to Data > Sort range, set the first sort column to 'Department' (A to Z), then click 'Add another sort column' and set the next column to 'Employee Last Name' (A to Z).

Answer

Sort by Column A (A to Z), then click 'Add another sort column' and sort by Column C (A to Z).

Answer

Use the `SORT` function as it's the only way to apply multiple sort criteria.

Answer

Apply a filter and sort Column C first, then remove the filter and sort Column A.

Question 6

What happens if you apply the `FILTER` function `=FILTER(A1:C50, D1:D50 > 100)` and no rows in the specified range meet the condition?

Accepted Answer

The formula returns the #N/A error.

Answer

The formula displays a blank result.

Answer

The formula returns a #VALUE! error.

Answer

The formula returns the original unsorted range.