Fill in the blank: In a VLOOKUP function, the value of the third argument tells VLOOKUP to return the value in the _____ row from the specified column.

In a VLOOKUP function, the value of the third argument tells VLOOKUP to return the value in the same row from the specified column.

Explanation

The VLOOKUP function in Excel is designed to look for a value in the first column of a specified range (table array) and return a value in the same row from another specified column. The second argument specifies the column index number from which to pull the result. Therefore, when you fill in the blank, it is correct to say that the function will return the value in the same row, aligned with the matched lookup value, thus ensuring accurate data retrieval corresponding to the lookup criteria. The formula format is typically =VLOOKUP(lookup_value, table_array, col_index_num, [range_lookup]), where col_index_num is the key point in this context.