What Excel term describes the feature that automatically fills a series or pattern across cells?

• A. Active Cell
• B. Column
• C. Cell Range
• D. AutoFill

Answer: (D)

AutoFill is the term for the feature that automatically fills a series or pattern across cells. You typically start by entering a value in a cell (or two cells to establish a pattern), then grab the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell—the fill handle—and drag it across or down. Excel analyzes the entered values and extends the sequence, such as 1, 2, 3; dates like a sequence of days; days of the week; months; or a repeating pattern. This makes populating a worksheet fast and consistent. The other terms describe different concepts: the active cell is just the currently selected cell, a column is a vertical stack of cells, and a cell range is a selected group of cells. They aren’t the feature used to automatically fill series.