Here is the curated collection of High-Weightage Subjective Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for CBSE Class 10 Information Technology (Subject Code 402), ranging from 1-mark short definitions to 4-mark application-based questions for Unit 2: Electronic Spreadsheets (Advanced).
📝 Section A: 1-Mark Questions (Short Definitions)
Q1. Define Data Consolidation in spreadsheets. [CBSE Board Exam 2023]
Answer: Data Consolidation allows you to gather, combine, and sum up data from separate worksheets (or source cell ranges) into a single master worksheet layout.
Q2. What is Goal Seek? [CBSE Board Exam 2024]
Answer: Goal Seek is a what-if analysis tool used to find the required input value when you already know the specific final outcome you want a formula to achieve.
Q3. What do you mean by an Absolute Reference? [CBSE Board Exam 2022]
Answer: An Absolute Reference is a fixed cell address (indicated by the $ symbol, e.g., $A$1) that remains completely unchanged when a formula is copied or moved to another cell.
Q4. Define the term Macro. [CBSE Board Exam 2022]
Answer: A macro is a saved sequence of keystrokes, clicks, and commands that you record and play back later to automatically run repetitive tasks.
Q5. Which shortcut key is used to open the Navigator tool window in Calc? [CBSE Board Exam 2020]
Answer: The F5 function key is the shortcut used to open the Navigator panel.
Q6. What keyword marks the beginning of a custom macro script in OpenOffice Basic? [CBSE Board Exam 2024]
Answer: Every custom macro script begins with the Sub keyword.
📝 Section B: 2-Mark Questions (Conceptual Explanations)
Q7. Differentiate between Goal Seek and Solver. [CBSE Board Exam 2024]
Answer:
- Goal Seek works backward with only one unknown variable cell to find a specific targeted formula result.
- Solver is an advanced version of Goal Seek that can optimize a formula’s result by changing multiple variable cells simultaneously while following strict rules or constraints.
Q8. What are Scenarios? Write any one benefit of using them. [CBSE Board Exam 2023]
Answer: Scenarios are a saved set of cell values for your calculation models that you can quickly swap between to see different outcomes.
Benefit: They allow you to test multiple budget models or “what-if” situations (like Best Case or Worst Case) inside the exact same cells without creating separate files.
Q9. Explain the difference between Subtotals and Data Consolidation. [CBSE Question Bank]
Answer:
- Subtotals automatically create organized groups and apply math functions (like Sum or Average) to rows of related data within a single worksheet.
- Data Consolidation focuses on combining completely separate data ranges from multiple different worksheets or workbooks into one master summary range.
Q10. How do you link data from an external website into a spreadsheet using Web Queries? [CBSE Board Exam 2023]
Answer:
- Go to the top menu bar and select Insert > Link to External Data.
- Paste the exact URL of the target webpage into the dialog box, press Enter, select the specific data tables you want to import, set the automatic refresh interval, and click OK.
Q11. Explain what happens when a document owner turns on the ‘Track Changes’ feature. [CBSE Board Exam 2024]
Answer: When Track Changes is active, the software logs every edit made to the sheet—recording who made the change, when it happened, and what the old value was. It visually highlights edited cells with a colored border and a small dot in the corner.
Q12. What are the two ways to create a link or reference to cells in another worksheet within the same workbook? [CBSE Sample Question Paper 2024]
Answer:
- Using the Mouse (Clicking): Type
=in your target cell, click the tab of the other worksheet, select the cell you want to link, and press Enter. - Typing the Formula manually: Directly type the cell reference string using the proper syntax format (e.g.,
=SheetName.CellAddresslike=Sheet2.B5).
📝 Section C: 4-Mark Questions (Detailed & Case Study-Based)
Q13. Sunita is a store manager who needs to analyze her quarterly sales data. She wants to use the Subtotal tool to group her products by category.
- List the mandatory step she must perform on her data before opening the Subtotal window.
- Explain how the subtotal feature organizes her data view once applied. [CBSE Board Exam 2023]**
Answer:
- Mandatory Pre-step: Sunita must first Sort her data table by the specific column she wants to group by (e.g., sort by “Product Category”). If the data is not sorted, items will be scattered and the tool will create a new separate subtotal every time the category name changes down the rows.
- Data Organization: Once applied, the Subtotal tool inserts new calculation rows below each sorted group showing the specified function result (like total sum or average). It also adds an interactive outline view panel on the left margin, allowing Sunita to click
+or-buttons to collapse or expand groups to quickly hide or show details.
Q14. Rohan wants to share a financial planning spreadsheet with three team members over the local office network.
- State the path to share the document.
- List any three features or operations that will become locked or completely unavailable to Rohan once the sheet is in Shared Mode. [CBSE Board Exam 2022]**
Answer:
- Path to Share: Rohan must go to the top menu bar and navigate to Tools > Share Document, then check the box that says “Share this spreadsheet with other users.”
- Three Unavailable Features: Once the spreadsheet is set to shared mode, users cannot:
- Merge cells or split cells.
- Insert or delete complete worksheets.
- Insert decorative elements like images, audio clips, or charts.
Q15. An accountant needs to automate a monthly report layout using macros. Explain the exact process of recording a macro in Calc, and mention two security risks associated with opening macro-enabled workbooks received from external sources. [CBSE Additional Practice 2024]
Answer:
Process of Recording a Macro:
- Go to Tools > Macros > Record Macro to start the recorder.
- Perform the exact layout and formatting steps on the keyboard and mouse that you want to save.
- Click the Stop Recording button on the small floating panel.
- In the dialog box that pops up, select your target library folder (like
Module1), enter a distinct name for your new macro function, and click Save.
Two Security Risks:
- Malicious Code Execution: External macros can contain hidden scripts (macro viruses) that can run automatically to alter, corrupt, or wipe out local system files.
- Data Theft / Spyware: Unverified macros can be programmed to secretly access sensitive private information stored on the machine and leak it over the network.