Work with the example
Which supplied band contains 15? The lower bounds 0,10,20 are inclusive and must increase. G5 is a numeric observation. H5 guards its type and the threshold order before approximate VLOOKUP reads the applicable lower-bound row.
| Lower bound | Supplied band |
|---|---|
| 0 | Small |
| 10 | Medium |
| 20 | Large |
Edit the working cells
Baseline 15 returns Medium. Change G5 to 20: Large. Fresh 10 gives Medium,0 gives Small and -1 gives Before first band. Swap the 10/20 bounds: Sort thresholds. Blank or text "15" gives Number missing. The stated rule is an exercise convention, not a business classification.
Check the failure case
I5 requests exact VLOOKUP and gives #N/A for 15 because 15 is not a threshold row. Approximate matching answers a different, expressly stated question; it must not be used to hide a misspelled exact key.
At exactly 10, which band does the lower-inclusive rule choose?
Show the worked answer
Medium, the row whose lower bound is 10.