I85PREP
⌘ K
FS Surveying study materials
FS Surveying study resources

FS Surveying practice questions

One question at a time. Build your FS Surveying understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Pre-Examination Activities

When beginning a boundary survey of an urban lot, which activity belongs to the pre-examination (pre-field) stage?

  1. Searching public records for deeds, plats, and prior surveys Correct answer.
  2. Measuring the distances between found monuments with a total station
  3. Drafting the final boundary plat for the client's signature
  4. Setting new monuments at the calculated corner positions

Explanation

Pre-examination activities gather and evaluate record information before any field measurements or monumentation occur. Setting monuments and measuring distances are field operations performed after the research is complete, and the plat is a post-field deliverable.

Question 2Pre-Examination Activities

A survey crew needs to cross private land that is neither owned by the client nor controlled by the client. Before entering, the crew should:

  1. Wait for the client to escort the crew at all times
  2. Obtain the landowner's permission or other lawful authority Correct answer.
  3. Enter only after notifying the local police department of the visit
  4. Enter without notice if the parcel is unfenced

Explanation

A surveyor generally needs the landowner's consent, a statutory right of entry with proper notification, or a court order before entering land held by a third party. Permission should be documented and occupants notified before mobilization.

Question 3Pre-Examination Activities

Why is a utility locate request typically submitted before any ground disturbance during a survey?

  1. To satisfy the boundary evidence requirement contained in the deed of record
  2. To obtain the coordinates of the nearest benchmarks
  3. To have buried utilities marked before probing or excavating Correct answer.
  4. To establish the legal description of the parcel

Explanation

One-call locate services mark public buried facilities before excavation so that crews do not strike them while probing for monuments or setting stakes. The locate ticket also documents compliance with state damage-prevention law.

Question 4Pre-Examination Activities

Which project document normally establishes the scope of services, deliverables, schedule, and fee for a survey?

  1. The deed for the subject parcel
  2. The signed contract or written agreement with the client Correct answer.
  3. The recorded subdivision plat
  4. The state minimum standards of practice for boundary surveys

Explanation

The executed agreement defines what the surveyor will deliver, when, and for how much, and it controls if later disputes arise. Deeds and plats are evidence about the land, and state standards set a regulatory floor rather than a project scope.

Question 5Pre-Examination Activities

What is the main purpose of obtaining a title commitment before a land title survey?

  1. To set the fee the surveyor may charge for the survey
  2. To prove that the boundary monuments are still in their original positions
  3. To replace the need for deed research in the county records
  4. To identify the record easements and encumbrances the survey must address Correct answer.

Explanation

The title commitment identifies the record parties in interest and lists the easements and encumbrances that the survey must locate or note. It is a starting point for research, not a substitute for examining the underlying recorded instruments.

Question 6Pre-Examination Activities

Which set of documents is most commonly assembled during pre-field research for a boundary survey?

  1. Soil test reports and septic design plans
  2. Deeds, plats, recorded surveys, and easement records Correct answer.
  3. Equipment calibration certificates and repair invoices
  4. Employee time cards and payroll records

Explanation

Boundary research centers on the written record of land: deeds in the chain of title, subdivision plats, previously recorded surveys, and documents creating roads and easements. These records establish what rights exist and where the record calls place them.

Question 7Pre-Examination Activities

Before beginning observations, a surveyor checks the total station's plate bubble, optical plummet, and tribrach. The purpose of these checks is to:

  1. Verify the radio link to the data collector
  2. Ensure the instrument is centered and leveled over the point Correct answer.
  3. Confirm the battery voltage is sufficient for a full day
  4. Verify that the reflectorless range meets the project specification

Explanation

The bubble, plummet, and tribrach control how well the instrument is centered and leveled over the station mark. Errors here are systematic and propagate into every measurement taken from the setup.

Question 8Pre-Examination Activities

The subject deed refers to a 60-foot road but does not state whether 60 feet is the right-of-way width or the traveled way. The best pre-field step is to:

  1. Ask the client which interpretation they prefer
  2. Measure the road in the field and adopt the measured width
  3. Check the plat, dedication documents, and adjoiner deeds for the dedicated width Correct answer.
  4. Assume that 60 feet is the traveled way width and offset the line 30 feet from centerline

Explanation

When a deed call is ambiguous, the surrounding record resolves it: the plat, the dedication instrument, and the adjoiner deeds normally state the dedicated right-of-way width. Field measurement cannot establish a record width because the traveled way is often narrower than the dedication.

Question 9Pre-Examination Activities

A title commitment lists a 20-foot utility easement without stating where it lies. Before field work the surveyor should:

  1. Omit the easement because its location is not of record
  2. Obtain the recorded instrument that created the easement Correct answer.
  3. Show the easement centered on the property's rear lot line, since utility easements are usually placed there
  4. Locate the easement by finding the nearest overhead power line

Explanation

An easement's location is determined by the instrument that created it and any referenced plat or exhibit. The surveyor must read that document rather than infer a location from typical practice or surface features.

Question 10Pre-Examination Activities

Many jurisdictions require a surveyor who sets or rehabilitates a boundary monument to file a corner record or record of survey. The main purpose is to:

  1. Transfer ownership of the monument to the county
  2. Guarantee that the monument will never be disturbed
  3. Establish the assessed value of the parcel
  4. Give public notice of the monument and its basis Correct answer.

Explanation

Filing perpetuates survey evidence by placing the monument's position, ties, and the reasoning behind it in the public record. Later surveyors and landowners can then rely on and check the monument without repeating the original work.

Question 11Pre-Examination Activities

When planning to use existing geodetic control for a project, the surveyor should consult the NGS datasheet primarily to:

  1. Determine the legal owner of the monument and any access rights to it
  2. Compute the fee the client will be charged for each recovered monument
  3. Obtain a permit from the agency that owns the land to occupy the monument site
  4. Check the monument's coordinates, condition, and last recovery date Correct answer.

Explanation

A datasheet publishes the station's adjusted coordinates, the mark description, and the history of reported conditions. Reviewing it tells the surveyor whether the mark is likely usable and when it was last confirmed to exist.

Question 12Pre-Examination Activities

To determine whether a parcel lies within a special flood hazard area during project planning, a surveyor should consult:

  1. The state's survey minimum standards
  2. The client's homeowner insurance policy
  3. The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map panel covering the site Correct answer.
  4. The county's zoning ordinance text and the official zoning map for the site

Explanation

Flood Insurance Rate Maps delineate special flood hazard areas and base flood elevations by panel. Zoning regulates permitted uses and density but does not define flood zones.

Question 13Pre-Examination Activities

Why should the horizontal and vertical datum and the required accuracy be confirmed with the client before field work begins?

  1. They fix the units, datum, and accuracy the deliverable must meet Correct answer.
  2. They determine how many monuments must be set at each corner
  3. They are needed to obtain the utility locate ticket
  4. They set the legal location of every boundary line under the state's boundary law

Explanation

Datum and accuracy specifications define how coordinates and elevations are expressed and the tolerance against which the work will be tested. Agreeing on them before mobilization prevents rework when the deliverable is rejected for using the wrong reference frame or an inadequate standard.

Question 14Pre-Examination Activities

A total station is being prepared for a precise traverse, and the surveyor notices the prism constant entered in the instrument does not match the prism being used. The correct action is to:

  1. Change the prism constant to match the prism and verify with a known baseline Correct answer.
  2. Leave the entry as it is and apply an averaged correction to all distances in the office
  3. Use reflectorless mode for all shots instead
  4. Double the number of rounds and average the results

Explanation

A prism constant mismatch is a systematic error that biases every distance by the same amount. It must be corrected at the source and confirmed on a known baseline before observations begin.

Question 15Pre-Examination Activities

Field work is planned on the shoulder of a two-lane highway. Which pre-field item belongs in the plan?

  1. A list of neighboring property owners' telephone numbers in case of complaints
  2. A traffic control plan and permits consistent with state work-zone standards Correct answer.
  3. A copy of the client's marketing brochure showing the project location
  4. A revised fee estimate for the client's lender reflecting the added field time

Explanation

Work along a traveled roadway requires a traffic control plan that conforms to the state's adopted work-zone manual, along with any permits the highway authority requires. This is arranged during planning so that crews and equipment are protected once on site.

Question 16Pre-Examination Activities

A one-call locate service has marked the public utilities at the site. Before probing for monuments on a commercial lot, the crew should recognize that:

  1. Every buried facility on the site has now been marked and is safe to probe
  2. The marks are guaranteed by law to be accurate to within six inches of the buried utility
  3. Probing is prohibited once a locate ticket has been issued
  4. Privately owned facilities are usually not marked by the one-call service Correct answer.

Explanation

One-call systems generally cover only the member utilities that subscribe to them, so privately owned lines such as site lighting, irrigation, and service laterals must be located separately. The excavator remains responsible for confirming that the area is clear before disturbing the ground.

Question 17Pre-Examination Activities

In preparing a fee estimate for a survey, which factor most directly drives field labor cost?

  1. The number of paper copies of the final plat requested by the client
  2. The font used on the final plat
  3. Site size, access, and the effort needed to recover monuments Correct answer.
  4. The county recorder's fee schedule for filing the record of survey

Explanation

Field labor is driven by how long the crew must be on site, which depends on the area to be covered, terrain and access, and how difficult the monument search proves to be. Drafting style, copies, and recording fees are small or fixed costs by comparison.

Question 18Pre-Examination Activities

A client supplies a 25-year-old survey of the property. In pre-field research, the surveyor should:

  1. Treat it as a record document whose evidence must be evaluated against deeds and found monuments Correct answer.
  2. Discard it because surveys expire after ten years
  3. Adopt its boundary lines as the correct location of the corners, since a licensed surveyor prepared it
  4. File it with the county as the current record of survey

Explanation

An older survey is useful record evidence of what was found and set at the time, but it does not control over the deeds or over the monuments themselves. The current surveyor must evaluate it critically and field-verify its monument calls.

Question 19Pre-Examination Activities

For an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey, which pre-field step is required to define the scope properly?

  1. Selecting every Table A item so that the survey will be as complete and as useful as possible
  2. Relying on the title company to choose Table A items without client input
  3. Applying Table A only when the property is larger than one acre
  4. Negotiating the applicable Table A items with the client and title company in writing Correct answer.

Explanation

Table A items are optional and become part of the survey only when they are specifically negotiated and confirmed in writing among the surveyor, client, and title company. Ordering all items indiscriminately increases cost without matching the transaction's needs.

Question 20Pre-Examination Activities

A surveyor is retracing boundaries originally created under the U.S. Public Land Survey System. The strongest pre-field evidence source is:

  1. The current tax assessor's parcel map
  2. The original GLO plats and field notes, together with later dependent resurvey records Correct answer.
  3. A modern GIS parcel layer published by the county assessor and updated from deed descriptions
  4. Aerial imagery from a free web mapping service

Explanation

Original General Land Office plats and field notes record the positions and descriptions of the corners as established, and later dependent resurveys build on that evidence. Derivative products such as GIS layers and assessment maps are compiled for other purposes and carry no boundary authority.

Question 21Pre-Examination Activities

A surveyor suspects the subject parcel may have been created without the subdivision approval required at the time. To evaluate this, the surveyor should:

  1. Confirm that the parcel has its own separate tax identification number and appears on the current tax roll
  2. Trace the chain of title to the effective date of the subdivision regulations and check for approvals Correct answer.
  3. Measure the parcel's area and compare it with the minimum lot size required by the current zoning ordinance
  4. Ask the client whether the parcel was legally created when it was originally conveyed

Explanation

Whether a division of land was lawful depends on the regulations in force when the parcel was created, so the chain of title must be traced to that date and checked for recorded approvals or documented exemptions. Current zoning and the client's recollection do not establish historical compliance.

Question 22Pre-Examination Activities

A deliverable must be expressed in State Plane coordinates. Which combination of pre-field decisions is required?

  1. The zone, the horizontal datum and epoch, and the projection and units Correct answer.
  2. The zone and the county's recording format for plats
  3. The zone and the vertical datum only
  4. Only the zone name, because the datum and epoch do not affect State Plane coordinates in practice

Explanation

State Plane coordinates are meaningless without the zone, the datum and realization or epoch, and the projection and units used to compute them. Different realizations of the same datum can differ by a meter or more, so the epoch must be stated for modern GNSS-derived coordinates.

Question 23Pre-Examination Activities

In a formal quality control program for a large boundary survey, what should happen to the research file and computations before mobilization?

  1. They are archived in the project file until the field crew requests them
  2. They are checked by a second qualified reviewer Correct answer.
  3. They are sent directly to the client for approval of boundary locations
  4. They are reviewed only if the client asks for a review

Explanation

Independent review before mobilization catches research omissions and computational errors while corrections are still inexpensive. A second qualified person who did not prepare the work provides the objectivity the check is meant to achieve.

Question 24Surveying Instruments and Procedures

Which surveying instrument is designed primarily to measure both horizontal and vertical angles?

  1. A planimeter
  2. A stereoscope
  3. A clinometer
  4. A theodolite Correct answer.

Explanation

A theodolite carries a graduated horizontal circle and a vertical circle, so both horizontal and vertical angles can be read from the same setup. Instruments such as planimeters measure area, while a clinometer reads only slope angles.

Question 25Surveying Instruments and Procedures

What is the main function of a tribrach in a surveying instrument setup?

  1. To illuminate the cross hairs for night observation
  2. To measure the slope distance to a target
  3. To attach the instrument to the tripod head and allow it to be levelled Correct answer.
  4. To record the horizontal circle readings

Explanation

The tribrach is the fitting that screws onto the tripod head and carries the instrument, with three foot screws for levelling. It may also house an optical plummet for centring, but its primary structural role is mounting and levelling.

Question 26Surveying Instruments and Procedures

A total station is best described as a combination of which two instruments?

  1. A compass and a clinometer
  2. A level and a levelling staff
  3. A GNSS receiver and a data logger
  4. An electronic theodolite and an electronic distance meter Correct answer.

Explanation

A total station measures angles electronically like a theodolite and distances by electro-optical means, then combines them to compute coordinates. The onboard processor and data storage support the field computations.

Question 27Surveying Instruments and Procedures

The optical plummet fitted to a theodolite or total station is used to:

  1. Measure the height of the instrument above the station mark
  2. Centre the instrument precisely over the ground mark Correct answer.
  3. Check that the levelling staff is held vertically
  4. Focus the telescope on distant objects

Explanation

The optical plummet provides a line of sight down the vertical axis so the observer can see the ground mark and adjust the instrument until it sits directly above it. Centring here means bringing the vertical axis through the station point.

Question 28Surveying Instruments and Procedures

In levelling, a backsight is a staff reading taken on:

  1. The instrument station itself
  2. A point chosen because of its steep slope
  3. The final point of the levelling run
  4. A point whose elevation is known or assumed Correct answer.

Explanation

A backsight is taken on a point of known or assumed elevation to establish the height of the instrument for that setup. It is normally the first reading after the instrument has been set up.

Question 29Surveying Instruments and Procedures

The sensitivity of a spirit-level bubble tube increases when:

  1. A more viscous liquid is used in the tube
  2. The radius of curvature of the tube is decreased
  3. The tube is shortened while its radius stays the same
  4. The radius of curvature of the tube is increased Correct answer.

Explanation

Sensitivity is governed by the angle through which the tube must tilt to move the bubble by one division, and a larger radius of curvature produces a smaller angle, hence a more sensitive bubble. A longer tube and larger bore also improve sensitivity.

Question 30Surveying Instruments and Procedures

A prismatic compass is used in surveying to measure:

  1. The horizontal distance between two points
  2. The difference in elevation between two points
  3. The magnetic bearing of a line Correct answer.
  4. The area enclosed by a closed traverse

Explanation

A prismatic compass gives the magnetic bearing of a line directly, since the line of sight and the graduated ring are read together through the prism. Bearings are referenced to magnetic north and must be corrected for local magnetic declination if true bearings are needed.

Question 31Surveying Instruments and Procedures

The two-peg test is carried out on a level in order to:

  1. Determine the height of the instrument at each setup
  2. Verify that the tripod is standing on firm ground
  3. Detect and quantify collimation error in the line of sight Correct answer.
  4. Check whether the staff graduations are accurate

Explanation

The test compares height differences obtained with equal and with unequal sight lengths; any discrepancy between them reveals that the line of sight is not parallel to the bubble tube axis. The size of the discrepancy gives the amount of collimation error over the long sight.

Question 32Surveying Instruments and Procedures

Collimation error exists in a level when the line of sight:

  1. Is not horizontal when the instrument stands on sloping ground
  2. Is not perpendicular to the vertical axis
  3. Is not parallel to the axis of the bubble tube Correct answer.
  4. Does not pass through the optical centre of the objective lens

Explanation

The line of collimation is defined by the intersection of the cross hairs with the optical axis of the telescope, and it must be parallel to the bubble tube axis when the bubble is centred. If it is not, the reading varies with sight length even though the instrument has been levelled.

Question 33Surveying Instruments and Procedures

In spirit levelling, the correction for atmospheric refraction is approximately:

  1. Zero, since refraction is ignored in all levelling work
  2. Equal to the curvature correction and acting in the same direction
  3. One-seventh of the curvature correction and acting in the opposite direction Correct answer.
  4. Seven times the curvature correction and acting in the opposite direction

Explanation

Refraction bends the line of sight downwards towards the earth, so a staff appears higher than it really is, which opposes the curvature effect that makes it appear lower. Empirically the refraction effect is about one-seventh of the curvature effect, giving a combined correction of about 0.0673D squared metres with D in kilometres.

Question 34Surveying Instruments and Procedures

If a levelling staff is held leaning instead of truly vertical, the effect on the result is that:

  1. The reading is greater than the true value, so the point's level is computed too low Correct answer.
  2. The reading is unaffected because it is taken at the central cross hair
  3. The reading is smaller than the true value, so the point's level is computed too high
  4. The reading is greater than the true value, so the point's level is computed too high

Explanation

A leaning staff places the graduation actually sighted farther up the staff than the vertical height to the line of sight, so the reading is always too large. Since the reduced level is obtained by subtracting the reading from the height of instrument, the computed level comes out too low.

Question 35Surveying Instruments and Procedures

A total station is set to a prism constant of zero, but a prism with a constant of minus 30 mm is actually used. The effect on the measured distances is that:

  1. Every distance is in error by the same fixed amount Correct answer.
  2. The error grows in proportion to the measured distance
  3. No error arises unless the sight is longer than one kilometre
  4. Vertical angles are affected but distances are not

Explanation

The prism constant is a fixed offset applied to every measurement to compensate for the extra light path inside the prism and its housing. A mismatch between the set value and the real prism therefore shifts all distances by the same amount, here 30 mm, independent of range.

Question 36Surveying Instruments and Procedures

Air temperature and pressure must be entered into a total station before measuring distances because:

  1. The speed of light in air varies with these, so the measured distance needs correcting Correct answer.
  2. The instrument cannot complete its levelling routine until they are entered
  3. They shift the zero of the vertical circle
  4. They are needed in order to compute the prism constant

Explanation

Electro-optical distance measurement converts travel time into distance using the speed of light in air, which depends on temperature and barometric pressure. Entering the actual values lets the instrument apply the atmospheric correction to the raw measurement.

Question 37Surveying Instruments and Procedures

Averaging horizontal circle readings taken in the face-left and face-right positions eliminates errors due to:

  1. Incorrect centring over the station mark
  2. Graduation errors in the horizontal circle
  3. Collimation and horizontal-axis errors Correct answer.
  4. The vertical axis not being truly vertical

Explanation

Transiting the telescope reverses the effect of the line-of-sight and trunnion-axis misalignments on the circle reading, so the mean of the two faces removes them. Errors in levelling and centring produce effects that do not reverse with face and must be controlled by careful setup.

Question 38Surveying Instruments and Procedures

The circular (box) bubble mounted on an instrument or tribrach is provided mainly to:

  1. Bring the instrument approximately level before fine levelling Correct answer.
  2. Indicate the direction of magnetic north
  3. Measure small angles of tilt to arc-second accuracy
  4. Check the verticality of ranging rods

Explanation

A circular bubble is comparatively insensitive and is used to get the instrument roughly level, after which the more sensitive plate or tube bubble is centred with the foot screws. This two-stage approach speeds up setting up without sacrificing precision.

Question 39Surveying Instruments and Procedures

Real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS positioning of a rover requires:

  1. A prism mounted on the rover and a total station at the base
  2. The rover antenna to be levelled to within one arc-second
  3. A correction stream from a base station or a network service Correct answer.
  4. The rover to be set on a known point for every observation

Explanation

RTK resolves the carrier-phase ambiguities at the rover in real time using corrections transmitted from a base receiver or a network service. Positions are computed in three dimensions, so the antenna needs only to be held steady and roughly plumbed.

Question 40Surveying Instruments and Procedures

When a levelling staff has to be held upside down against a ceiling or bridge soffit, the reading is recorded as negative because:

  1. The point cannot be levelled and must be observed from another side
  2. The staff zero is above the line of sight, so the point lies above the instrument Correct answer.
  3. The reading must be doubled to allow for the reversed graduations
  4. The reading is positive but the instrument height must be reduced

Explanation

With the staff inverted, its zero end sits at the high point and the graduations increase downwards, so the sighted graduation corresponds to a point above the line of sight. Treating the reading as negative in the height-of-instrument computation gives the correct, higher reduced level.

Question 41Surveying Instruments and Procedures

In stadia tacheometry with a horizontal line of sight, the horizontal distance is obtained by multiplying the staff intercept by:

  1. 100 Correct answer.
  2. 200
  3. 50
  4. 20

Explanation

For a horizontal sight the distance equals the multiplying constant times the intercept between the upper and lower stadia hairs plus the additive constant, which is normally zero for an internal-focusing telescope. The conventional multiplying constant is 100.

Question 42Surveying Instruments and Procedures

Two pegs A and B are 60 m apart. With the level set exactly midway, the staff readings are 1.500 m on A and 1.200 m on B. The level is then moved to a point 10 m from A on the line AB, where the readings are 1.400 m on A and 1.110 m on B. What is the collimation error over the 50 m sight to B?

  1. 0.290 m
  2. 0.300 m
  3. 0.005 m
  4. 0.010 m Correct answer.

Explanation

From the midpoint the sights are equal, so collimation error and curvature-refraction cancel and the true height difference is 1.500 minus 1.200, or 0.300 m with B higher. From the second setup the apparent difference is 1.400 minus 1.110, or 0.290 m, the shortfall of 0.010 m being the collimation error accumulated over the 50 m sight to B.

Question 43Surveying Instruments and Procedures

A level takes a sight of 500 m. Using the combined curvature and refraction correction of 0.0673D squared, with D in kilometres and the result in metres, the magnitude of the correction is:

  1. 0.067 m
  2. 0.034 m
  3. 0.017 m Correct answer.
  4. 0.008 m

Explanation

With D equal to 0.5 km, the correction is 0.0673 times 0.25, which is about 0.0168 m, or 0.017 m. It is subtracted from the staff reading because the combined effect makes the staff appear too high.

Question 44Surveying Instruments and Procedures

A total station set on an unknown point observes three known control points to fix its own coordinates. The computed position becomes unreliable when:

  1. The instrument height is measured with a steel tape
  2. The occupied point lies on the circle passing through the three known points Correct answer.
  3. The observations are taken on both faces
  4. The three known points are more than 500 m from the instrument

Explanation

The angles subtended by three fixed points are the same for every position on the circle through those points, so the resection has no unique solution on that circle. Surveyors avoid this danger circle by choosing control points that do not put the station on it.

Question 45Surveying Instruments and Procedures

In reciprocal levelling between two points that are far apart, the mean of the two height differences obtained with the instrument placed near each point eliminates:

  1. Errors in the graduations of the staff
  2. Curvature, refraction and collimation error Correct answer.
  3. The effect of the instrument height
  4. Only the effect of the staff not being held vertical

Explanation

In the two setups the long and short sights are interchanged, so any error that depends on sight length - curvature, refraction and collimation - affects each height difference by equal and opposite amounts. Averaging the pair therefore cancels them, which is why reciprocal levelling is used across rivers and ravines.

Question 46Boundary and Cadastral Surveys

How many sections are contained in a standard township of the Public Land Survey System?

  1. 36 Correct answer.
  2. 64
  3. 16
  4. 24

Explanation

A standard township is a square six miles on a side, laid out as a grid of six sections by six sections, which yields 36 sections of one square mile (640 acres) each.

Question 47Boundary and Cadastral Surveys

Within a PLSS township, section 1 is located at which corner?

  1. Northwest corner
  2. Northeast corner Correct answer.
  3. Southwest corner
  4. Southeast corner

Explanation

Section numbering starts with section 1 in the northeast corner and runs westward across the top tier, then zigzags east-west through successive tiers, finishing with section 36 in the southeast corner.

Question 48Boundary and Cadastral Surveys

A metes and bounds description defines a parcel chiefly by:

  1. Reference to a lot and block number on a recorded subdivision plat
  2. Coordinates referenced to a state plane grid
  3. Aliquot parts of a section in the public land survey
  4. Calls for courses and distances from a point of beginning Correct answer.

Explanation

Metes and bounds descriptions trace the perimeter of a parcel with calls for course (bearing) and distance from a described point of beginning, closing back on that point.

Question 49Boundary and Cadastral Surveys

In the Public Land Survey System, the east-west line from which tiers of townships are counted is the:

  1. Guide meridian
  2. Base line Correct answer.
  3. Standard parallel
  4. Principal meridian

Explanation

The base line runs east-west and, with the north-south principal meridian, forms the origin of the survey; township tiers are counted north and south from the base line.

Question 50Boundary and Cadastral Surveys

In a well-drafted metes and bounds description, the point of beginning should be:

  1. A readily identifiable monument or record reference Correct answer.
  2. The point of highest elevation on the property
  3. The nearest section corner in the government survey
  4. The approximate center of the parcel

Explanation

The point of beginning anchors the whole description, so it must be something a surveyor can locate with confidence, such as an original monument, a record intersection, or a well-defined physical feature.