Which statement correctly describes VLOOKUP and its relation to HLOOKUP and XLOOKUP?

Which statement correctly describes VLOOKUP and its relation to HLOOKUP and XLOOKUP?

• A. VLOOKUP searches a vertical table by the first column.
• B. HLOOKUP searches a vertical table by the first column.
• C. XLOOKUP can only do exact matches.
• D. VLOOKUP can retrieve values to the left of the lookup column.

Answer: (A)

VLOOKUP performs a vertical lookup: it searches the first column of the table to find the row that matches the lookup value, then returns a value from a specified column to the right in that same row. This is why the statement about searching a vertical table by the first column is correct. HLOOKUP operates in the opposite direction, searching the first row of a horizontal table and returning from a row below. XLOOKUP is more flexible, handling vertical or horizontal lookups and allowing returns from anywhere in the table (including to the left) with support for exact or approximate matches. The other statements misstate these behaviors: HLOOKUP is not vertical, XLOOKUP isn’t limited to exact matches, and VLOOKUP cannot retrieve values to the left of the lookup column.

VLOOKUP performs a vertical lookup: it searches the first column of the table to find the row that matches the lookup value, then returns a value from a specified column to the right in that same row. This is why the statement about searching a vertical table by the first column is correct. HLOOKUP operates in the opposite direction, searching the first row of a horizontal table and returning from a row below. XLOOKUP is more flexible, handling vertical or horizontal lookups and allowing returns from anywhere in the table (including to the left) with support for exact or approximate matches. The other statements misstate these behaviors: HLOOKUP is not vertical, XLOOKUP isn’t limited to exact matches, and VLOOKUP cannot retrieve values to the left of the lookup column.