2 5 6

7 1 4
15 21 20
41 14 9
23 42 36

Not entirely sure what you mean but 1 will be the smallest number

Curiously, these are numerals, not numbers.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeral_system

The teacher should have written: Circle the numeral representing the lowest value....if that is what was meant.
However, I agree with C above, the question doesn't make much sense.

The given set of numbers seems to be arranged in a grid format, with each row containing three numbers. To better understand the data and provide a meaningful explanation, could you please provide some context or specify what exactly you would like me to explain?