To calculate total expenses for the "Office Expense" category using a formula, which argument must include a text string?

To calculate total expenses for the "Office Expense" category using a formula, the argument that must include a text string is the criteria. In functions such as SUMIF or COUNTIF, the criteria argument specifies which conditions must be met for the function to perform its calculation on the specified range or sum range. This argument is where you define the specific condition—like identifying entries that match the text string "Office Expense."

By using a text string in the criteria, the formula can accurately filter and sum only those values that correspond to the designated category. For example, if you are summing expenses, the formula will look for any instances in your data that match "Office Expense" and then sum only the corresponding values from the specified sum range.

In this context, the other arguments—range, sum_range, and average_range—do not require a text string. The range indicates the cells to evaluate against the criteria, while sum_range specifies the data points to be added together based on those criteria, and average_range is similar in that it refers to the data you want to average. None of these need a text string to function correctly in the context of calculating totals based on specific criteria.