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LARE Section 2 study materials
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LARE Section 2 practice questions

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Question 1Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect needs a general-purpose base map for a 40-acre rural site where no surveyed mapping exists yet. Which source provides the standard national topographic coverage at 1:24,000 scale with contour lines, hydrography, and roads?

  1. A USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle map Correct answer.
  2. A county tax parcel map
  3. A FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map
  4. An NRCS soil survey map

Explanation

USGS 7.5-minute quadrangles cover the United States at 1:24,000 and show contours, water, roads, and culture, making them a common planning base before site-specific survey work. Tax maps, FIRMs, and soil surveys each depict only one theme and do not supply terrain contours.

Question 2Inventory and Data Collection

In a topographic survey, what is a benchmark?

  1. A property corner established and stamped by a licensed surveyor
  2. A monumented point of known elevation used as a vertical reference Correct answer.
  3. The highest natural point within the surveyed property
  4. The recorded elevation of the nearest named body of water

Explanation

A benchmark is a stable, monumented point whose elevation is known relative to a vertical datum such as NAVD 88; survey elevations are carried from it. Property corners are horizontal control and do not establish elevations, and the highest point on a site is simply a high point, not a reference.

Question 3Inventory and Data Collection

A site plan uses a 2-foot contour interval, with every fifth contour drawn as an index contour labeled 620. What is the elevation of the first contour line uphill from that index contour?

  1. 624
  2. 630
  3. 622 Correct answer.
  4. 621

Explanation

Each successive contour differs from its neighbor by one interval, so the first line uphill of the 620 index contour is 622. The 624 line lies two intervals uphill, and 630 is the next index contour, five intervals (10 feet) above 620.

Question 4Inventory and Data Collection

The NRCS Web Soil Survey maps a site's dominant unit as hydric. What does this most directly indicate for site planning?

  1. Wetland indicators and a seasonally high water table may be present Correct answer.
  2. The soils are shallow to bedrock and poorly suited to tree planting
  3. The soils are expansive clays that will require lime stabilization before paving
  4. The soils are highly permeable and suitable for stormwater infiltration basins

Explanation

Hydric soils form under conditions of saturation, flooding, or ponding long enough to develop anaerobic conditions, so they signal possible wetlands and a seasonal high water table. That condition argues for careful siting of infiltration, utilities, and foundations rather than assuming good drainage.

Question 5Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect obtains a LiDAR-derived bare-earth digital elevation model for a densely wooded site. What advantage does this dataset have over conventional photogrammetric mapping of the same area?

  1. It models ground elevations by filtering out vegetation and structure returns Correct answer.
  2. It records the color and species of individual tree canopies
  3. It documents property ownership boundaries beneath the canopy
  4. It measures soil bearing capacity without drilling borings

Explanation

LiDAR pulses reach the ground through canopy gaps, and filtering the last returns produces a bare-earth terrain model that photogrammetry cannot reliably build under dense cover. The technique does not classify species, test soils, or establish ownership.

Question 6Inventory and Data Collection

A recorded 20-foot-wide public utility easement crosses the part of a site proposed for a pavilion. Which statement best describes the design constraint?

  1. The easement automatically lapses once the utility's pipes have been installed
  2. The easement conveys fee simple title of the strip to the utility, so no design work can occur there
  3. The utility holds use rights there, so the pavilion should be relocated outside the strip Correct answer.
  4. The easement permanently forbids any planting or grading within the strip in all circumstances

Explanation

An easement grants a right of use to the utility while the owner retains fee title, so permanent structures are generally kept out of the strip even though other site work may be allowed. The recorded terms, not assumptions, govern what planting, grading, or paving is permitted.

Question 7Inventory and Data Collection

A handheld GNSS unit in a wooded ravine returns repeated horizontal positions within 0.4 m of one another, but each is about 9 m from the position established by a total station. How should these results be characterized?

  1. The GNSS data are both accurate and precise
  2. The total station data are imprecise and should be discarded
  3. The GNSS data are precise but inaccurate Correct answer.
  4. The GNSS data are accurate but imprecise

Explanation

Precision describes repeatability among measurements, while accuracy describes closeness to the true or reference value. Tight clustering 9 m away from the total-station position indicates consistent but biased results, a common outcome of canopy interference and multipath.

Question 8Inventory and Data Collection

Under the Corps of Engineers wetland delineation approach, which three parameters are used together to identify a wetland?

  1. Hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology Correct answer.
  2. Hydric soils, a seasonal high water table, and ponded surface water
  3. Hydric soils, standing water, and a mapped floodplain boundary
  4. Saturated soils, a defined stream channel, and a FEMA flood zone

Explanation

The three-parameter approach evaluates hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology, with indicators used for each rather than requiring standing water year-round. Floodplain mapping is a separate regulatory overlay and is neither necessary nor sufficient for a delineation.

Question 9Inventory and Data Collection

On a plan with a 5-foot contour interval, the perpendicular map distance between the 100-foot and 120-foot contours is 160 feet. What is the approximate ground slope?

  1. 10 percent
  2. 8 percent
  3. 20 percent
  4. 12.5 percent Correct answer.

Explanation

Slope equals elevation change divided by horizontal distance: 20 feet of rise over 160 feet of run equals 0.125, or 12.5 percent. Measuring perpendicular to the contours ensures the distance represents true slope rather than an oblique path.

Question 10Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect wants to evaluate whether a proposed 30-foot observation tower on a ridge would be visible from a trail network. Which combination of inventory data is most directly needed?

  1. Aerial photography, a wetland delineation, and the flood insurance rate map
  2. Soil survey map units, zoning districts, and parcel ownership records
  3. A bare-earth DEM, canopy heights, tower height, and trail observer locations Correct answer.
  4. Traffic counts, parking demand, and pedestrian circulation counts

Explanation

A viewshed analysis tests line of sight between observer points and the target, so it needs terrain elevation, the height of intervening vegetation and structures, the tower's height and eye level, and the observer positions along the trail. Soils, zoning, and traffic data do not change whether the tower can be seen.

Question 11Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is assembling a base map for a 60-acre site and obtains a digital orthophoto quarter-quadrangle (DOQQ). What characteristic most distinguishes this product from an uncorrected vertical aerial photograph?

  1. It records reflected infrared energy in order to map vegetation stress
  2. It is captured at an oblique angle to show building facades and canopy profiles
  3. It is produced only from satellite platforms at a fixed 10-meter cell size
  4. Terrain displacement has been removed so distances can be measured uniformly Correct answer.

Explanation

An orthophoto is a vertical aerial image that has been rectified to remove displacement caused by terrain relief and camera tilt, giving it a uniform scale so it can serve as a map base. Uncorrected aerial photographs contain relief displacement that shifts tall features outward from the principal point, which makes direct distance measurement unreliable.

Question 12Inventory and Data Collection

A consultant is preparing a tree inventory specification for a park renovation. At what standard height above ground is diameter at breast height (DBH) measured in the United States?

  1. 6.0 feet
  2. 1.0 foot
  3. 4.5 feet Correct answer.
  4. 10.0 feet

Explanation

Diameter at breast height is conventionally measured at 4.5 feet (about 1.37 meters) above the ground, taken on the uphill side of the tree in the United States. A consistent measurement height is essential because trunk diameter changes with height, and comparisons across an inventory depend on a standard reference point.

Question 13Inventory and Data Collection

A site plan is drawn at a graphic scale of 1 inch = 40 feet. Which representative fraction is equivalent to this scale?

  1. 1:4,800
  2. 1:40
  3. 1:480 Correct answer.
  4. 1:120

Explanation

One inch on the map represents 40 feet on the ground, and 40 feet equals 480 inches, so the representative fraction is 1:480. A representative fraction is unitless because map distance and ground distance are expressed in the same units.

Question 14Inventory and Data Collection

A surveyor reports spot elevations on a grading plan referenced to NAVD 88. What does this datum define?

  1. The elevation of mean high tide at the nearest tide station
  2. The depth of the seasonal high water table beneath the site
  3. The horizontal position of the site relative to the state plane grid
  4. A national vertical reference surface from which orthometric heights are measured Correct answer.

Explanation

NAVD 88 is a national vertical datum that provides the reference surface for orthometric heights and has largely replaced the older National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 in mapping and engineering work. Spot elevations, benchmark elevations, and flood elevations referenced to NAVD 88 are all measured relative to that surface.

Question 15Inventory and Data Collection

A field crew's GNSS rover displays a PDOP of 8.5 while collecting tree locations beside a building. What does this value most directly indicate?

  1. The receiver has lost its real-time differential correction signal
  2. Poor satellite geometry, so horizontal positions are likely less accurate Correct answer.
  3. Fewer than four satellites are currently being tracked
  4. The antenna height was entered incorrectly in the data collector

Explanation

PDOP, or position dilution of precision, describes how the geometric arrangement of satellites amplifies ranging error; a higher value means a poorer configuration and a larger expected position error. Values above roughly 6 to 8 are generally considered poor for precise feature mapping, so the crew should wait for better geometry or relocate to a more open sky view.

Question 16Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is planning test pits for a proposed irrigation main on a site with limited utility records. What is the standard first step for identifying buried utilities before excavation?

  1. Using ground-penetrating radar alone because utility records are unreliable
  2. Assuming buried lines follow the centerlines of adjacent public streets
  3. Excavating test pits along the entire proposed irrigation alignment
  4. Submitting a utility locate request to the state one-call center Correct answer.

Explanation

Submitting a locate request to the state one-call center before excavation is the standard legal and safety step; the center notifies member utilities, which mark their facilities in the field. As-built records and geophysical methods supplement the marks but do not replace the locate request, and potholing is used where exact depths or alignments must be confirmed.

Question 17Inventory and Data Collection

In a published county soil survey, how is a map unit best described?

  1. The depth below grade to the first restrictive layer
  2. A delineated area on the map containing one or more named soils Correct answer.
  3. The laboratory texture class of the surface horizon at a representative site
  4. A single soil profile described at one georeferenced sample pit

Explanation

A soil survey map unit is a delineated area on the landscape, named for the dominant soil or soils plus slope or other phases, rather than a single described profile. The map unit concept allows the survey to represent soil variability at a usable mapping scale while acknowledging inclusions of other soils within the polygon.

Question 18Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is using a LiDAR point cloud to model both ground surface and tree canopy on a wooded site. How should the first and last returns be interpreted?

  1. First returns represent ground, and last returns represent canopy tops
  2. First returns tend to be canopy, last returns ground Correct answer.
  3. Both first and last returns represent only bare earth after filtering
  4. Intensity values encode elevation above the ellipsoid

Explanation

The first return is the first pulse energy to reach the sensor and usually comes from the highest surface such as a canopy or roof, while later returns can pass through gaps and reach the ground. Classifying last returns and applying ground filters is how bare-earth DEMs are produced, and comparing first returns with ground returns supports canopy height modeling.

Question 19Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is sizing a tree inventory sample for a 200-acre woodland and wants a 90% confidence level with a margin of error of ±10% for estimated canopy cover. Holding confidence level and variability constant, what happens to the required sample size if the acceptable margin of error is tightened to ±5%?

  1. It stays the same because the population is finite
  2. It roughly quadruples Correct answer.
  3. It roughly doubles
  4. It decreases by about half

Explanation

For a simple random sample, required sample size is proportional to the square of the z-value times the variance divided by the square of the margin of error. Halving the margin of error therefore multiplies the required sample size by about four when confidence level and variability are unchanged.

Question 20Inventory and Data Collection

A multispectral image yields an NDVI of 0.75 for a turf area and −0.10 for an adjacent paved plaza. What do these values most directly indicate?

  1. The plaza was imaged at a coarser ground resolution than the turf
  2. The turf surface is 0.75 degrees Celsius cooler than the plaza surface
  3. The turf is 75 percent irrigated, and the plaza is 10 percent impervious
  4. The turf reflects much more near-infrared than red light Correct answer.

Explanation

NDVI is the normalized difference between near-infrared and red reflectance; healthy vegetation reflects strongly in the near-infrared while absorbing red light, producing high positive values. Impervious surfaces such as pavement have similar reflectance in both bands, so their NDVI is near zero or slightly negative.

Question 21Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect requests a base map that shows property lines, roads, building footprints, and utility easements but intentionally omits elevation contours. What type of map is this?

  1. A planimetric map Correct answer.
  2. A cadastral map
  3. A bathymetric map
  4. A topographic map

Explanation

A planimetric map shows the horizontal position of features such as boundaries, roads, and buildings in two dimensions without elevation relief. Topographic maps add contours and spot elevations, cadastral maps emphasize ownership parcels, and bathymetric maps show underwater depth.

Question 22Inventory and Data Collection

A USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle is named for the area it covers. What does the 7.5-minute designation describe?

  1. The distance between section corners
  2. The map's publication update cycle
  3. The map's contour interval
  4. The latitude-longitude extent of the map sheet Correct answer.

Explanation

A 7.5-minute quadrangle spans 7.5 minutes of latitude by 7.5 minutes of longitude, which corresponds to the standard 1:24,000-scale USGS topographic sheet. The designation is an angular extent, not a contour interval, update cycle, or distance between section corners.

Question 23Inventory and Data Collection

Which coordinate system is divided into state-specific zones and is commonly used for U.S. boundary and site surveys?

  1. State Plane Coordinate System Correct answer.
  2. Local assumed coordinates
  3. Geographic latitude and longitude
  4. Universal Transverse Mercator

Explanation

The State Plane Coordinate System divides the United States into state-specific zones with projected grids tied to a national datum such as NAD83. It is widely used for boundary and site mapping because distortion within a zone is kept small.

Question 24Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect overlays a county parcel layer referenced to NAD83 State Plane coordinates onto a survey drawing that used an assumed local coordinate system. The parcel line misses the surveyed boundary by 12 feet. What is the most appropriate first step?

  1. Transform the survey into the county coordinate system Correct answer.
  2. Move the parcel layer manually until the lines visually align
  3. Delete the survey boundary and rely on the county parcel layer
  4. Assume the discrepancy is a drafting error and proceed

Explanation

Layers with different coordinate reference systems or datums must be transformed or reprojected into a common system before overlay. Manually shifting features or discarding the survey cannot resolve the underlying reference mismatch.

Question 25Inventory and Data Collection

A field crew uses a total station to locate proposed tree protection fencing. Which quantities does the instrument measure directly to compute point coordinates?

  1. Ground penetration and soil resistivity
  2. Slope distance and horizontal and vertical angles Correct answer.
  3. Satellite pseudorange and carrier-phase measurements
  4. Barometric pressure and relative humidity

Explanation

A total station combines an electronic distance measurement of slope distance with measured horizontal and vertical angles to compute coordinates of a point. Barometric pressure, satellite signals, and subsurface geophysical measurements are not the direct observables of a total station.

Question 26Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is inventorying a site that includes a mapped floodplain. Which information does a FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map provide directly?

  1. Wetland delineation boundaries
  2. Seasonal high water table depth
  3. Flood zones and base flood elevations Correct answer.
  4. Soil permeability rates

Explanation

A FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map shows Special Flood Hazard Areas, flood zone designations, and base flood elevations for regulatory and insurance purposes. It does not establish seasonal high water table depth, wetland boundaries, or soil permeability.

Question 27Inventory and Data Collection

A county soil survey maps a portion of a site as a complex. What does this designation indicate for site inventory?

  1. The map unit contains a single soil series with uniform properties
  2. All soils in the map unit are hydric and unsuitable for construction
  3. The map unit is based only on surface geology, not soil properties
  4. Two or more soils are too intricately mixed to map separately Correct answer.

Explanation

In a soil survey, a complex denotes two or more soil components that are intimately mixed and cannot be separated at the published map scale. A complex does not mean a single uniform soil or that all components are hydric.

Question 28Inventory and Data Collection

A vertical aerial photograph is flown with a 6-inch focal length lens. The photo scale is 1:12,000. What is the flying height above the terrain?

  1. 6,000 feet Correct answer.
  2. 12,000 feet
  3. 1,000 feet
  4. 2,000 feet

Explanation

Flying height above terrain equals focal length times the scale denominator, with both expressed in the same units. A 6-inch focal length is 0.5 foot, so 0.5 foot times 12,000 equals 6,000 feet.

Question 29Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is sampling trees in a 120-acre woodland that grades from dry upland to wetter lowland. The objective is to estimate mean diameter at breast height across the entire woodland while ensuring both moisture zones are represented. Which sampling approach best meets this objective?

  1. Stratified sampling by upland and lowland Correct answer.
  2. Selecting only the largest trees visible from the access road
  3. Simple random sampling across the entire woodland
  4. Convenience sampling along the main trail

Explanation

Stratified random sampling divides the woodland into relatively homogeneous strata, such as upland and lowland, and samples randomly within each, ensuring both zones are represented. Simple random sampling can under-sample one zone by chance, and convenience or size-biased selection introduces bias.

Question 30Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect compares a stream mapped on a 1:24,000 USGS quadrangle with the same reach mapped from 1-meter LiDAR. The two lines plot about 25 feet apart. Which explanation is most defensible?

  1. The stream must have migrated 25 feet since the quadrangle was published
  2. LiDAR is always more legally authoritative than a published quadrangle
  3. The LiDAR data must be wrong because it was collected from an aircraft
  4. Map generalization and LiDAR resolution explain the offset Correct answer.

Explanation

A 1:24,000 quadrangle generalizes stream lines and carries horizontal accuracy limits consistent with its scale, while 1-meter LiDAR resolves the channel position more precisely. A 25-foot offset alone does not prove channel migration or an error; field verification would be needed before making that conclusion.

Question 31Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is assembling a GIS data dictionary for a park tree inventory. Which attribute is measured on a nominal scale?

  1. Trunk diameter measured in inches
  2. Tree height measured in feet
  3. Species name recorded as a text code Correct answer.
  4. Canopy condition ranked from excellent to poor

Explanation

Nominal data classify observations into named categories with no inherent order or numeric meaning. Species names or codes are labels, whereas diameter and height are ratio data and condition rank is ordinal.

Question 32Inventory and Data Collection

A survey crew sets a brass disk in a concrete headwall and records its elevation before collecting topographic shots. What role does this disk serve in the survey?

  1. Temporary turning point for a level loop
  2. Horizontal control for property boundary retracement
  3. Vertical benchmark for referencing elevations Correct answer.
  4. Ground control for aerial triangulation

Explanation

A benchmark is a fixed point with a known elevation used as a reference for vertical measurements. Because the crew records its elevation before taking topographic shots, the disk provides vertical control rather than horizontal or photogrammetric control.

Question 33Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is comparing map scales for a site inventory. Which scale shows the greatest level of detail for a 10-acre parcel?

  1. 1:100,000
  2. 1:62,500
  3. 1:4,800 Correct answer.
  4. 1:24,000

Explanation

A larger-scale map covers less ground for a given map sheet and depicts features in greater detail. The fraction 1:4,800 has the largest representative fraction among the choices, so it provides the most detail.

Question 34Inventory and Data Collection

An aerial photogrammetric mapping project requires ground control points that can be measured on the imagery. Which feature is best suited for this purpose?

  1. A fence line along a property boundary
  2. A stormwater retention basin
  3. A painted cross on a paved parking lot Correct answer.
  4. A mature oak tree canopy

Explanation

A ground control point must have a sharply defined, stable location that is clearly identifiable in the aerial imagery. A painted cross on pavement meets that requirement, while tree canopies change, fences are linear, and basins are broad features.

Question 35Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is inventorying trees in a 40-acre park and wants an efficient estimate of basal area per acre. Which plot design is most appropriate?

  1. Variable-radius prism plots Correct answer.
  2. Fixed-radius circular plots
  3. Quadrat sampling
  4. Line-intercept transects

Explanation

Variable-radius prism plots select trees with probability proportional to stem size, making them efficient for estimating basal area per unit area. Fixed-radius plots can also be used, but they require more measurements to achieve comparable efficiency for basal area.

Question 36Inventory and Data Collection

A field crew collecting tree locations with a hand-held GNSS receiver records a horizontal accuracy of ±0.3 meter. What does this value most likely indicate?

  1. The antenna height must be entered as 0.3 meter in the receiver's configuration
  2. Every recorded position is exactly 0.3 meter from the true location in all cases
  3. Positions are expected within 0.3 meter of truth at a stated confidence level Correct answer.
  4. The receiver's PDOP value is 0.3

Explanation

GNSS accuracy is a statistical statement, typically expressed at a confidence level such as 95 percent. It means the reported positions are expected to be within the stated distance of the true location most of the time, not that every position is off by exactly that amount.

Question 37Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is interpreting a color infrared aerial photograph of a site. Which feature would appear bright red?

  1. Bare soil
  2. Healthy vegetation Correct answer.
  3. Open water
  4. Paved parking lot

Explanation

Color infrared imagery displays near-infrared reflectance as red. Healthy vegetation reflects strongly in the near-infrared band, so it typically appears bright red, while water, pavement, and bare soil appear darker or in other tones.

Question 38Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is reading a topographic map and observes a series of contour lines forming a V shape where they cross a stream. What does the V indicate?

  1. The V marks a closed depression.
  2. The V indicates a ridge line.
  3. The stream flows in the direction the V points.
  4. The V points upstream, toward higher elevation. Correct answer.

Explanation

Contour lines form a V where they cross a stream, and the apex of the V points upstream toward higher ground. The stream flows in the opposite direction, away from the point of the V.

Question 39Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect overlays a parcel layer with a stated horizontal accuracy of ±3 meters and a wetlands layer with ±10 meters to evaluate a proposed trail. The trail appears to lie 5 meters from mapped wetlands. What is the most defensible approach?

  1. Treat the overlay as approximate and field-verify the wetland boundary. Correct answer.
  2. Use the parcel layer alone because it has the smaller error value.
  3. Rely on the overlay because GIS overlay analysis is mathematically exact.
  4. Buffer the trail by 10 meters and assume the design complies.

Explanation

The overlay is only as reliable as the least accurate input layer, and positional errors can exceed the apparent separation distance. A mapped 5-meter separation is within the combined uncertainty, so field verification is needed before relying on the result.

Question 40Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is using a 1-meter LiDAR-derived DEM to calculate slope for a trail alignment. Which limitation is most important when interpreting the slope results?

  1. LiDAR cannot penetrate vegetation, so the DEM always represents the canopy top.
  2. Slope can only be calculated from vector contour lines, not from a raster DEM.
  3. Microtopography and noise in a 1-meter DEM can exaggerate local slope values. Correct answer.
  4. The DEM must be in a geographic coordinate system before slope can be computed.

Explanation

High-resolution DEMs can include small-scale surface roughness, vegetation artifacts, or noise that produce locally steep slope values not representative of the broader alignment. Analysts often smooth or aggregate the DEM or interpret slope over a larger support area.

Question 41Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect is reviewing a county soil survey to identify areas where a seasonal high water table may limit tree planting. Which soil survey attribute is most directly used for this screening?

  1. Surface texture
  2. Hydrologic soil group
  3. Drainage class Correct answer.
  4. Land capability class

Explanation

Drainage class describes the frequency and depth of seasonal saturation in a soil map unit, making it the most direct attribute for screening high water table limitations. Hydrologic soil group and texture influence water movement, but they do not state water-table depth.

Question 42Inventory and Data Collection

A topographic map for a trail planning project is published with a 5-foot contour interval. What does this interval describe?

  1. The horizontal spacing between adjacent contour lines on a uniform slope
  2. The vertical elevation change between adjacent contour lines Correct answer.
  3. The maximum allowable grade change along a proposed trail alignment
  4. The ground distance represented by one inch at the map scale

Explanation

The contour interval is the fixed vertical distance between successive contour lines, so a 5-foot interval means each line represents a 5-foot elevation change. Horizontal spacing between contours varies with slope and is not the interval itself.

Question 43Inventory and Data Collection

A field technician collects tree-location points with a hand-held GNSS receiver in a dense hardwood stand. Which condition is most likely to reduce horizontal accuracy at those points?

  1. Signal obstruction and multipath from tree canopy Correct answer.
  2. A nearby base station broadcasting real-time correction signals
  3. A high number of visible satellites above the mask angle
  4. A clear view of the southern sky with no obstructions

Explanation

Dense canopy blocks satellite signals and causes multipath, where signals reflect off trunks and branches before reaching the receiver. A clear sky view, correction signals, and many visible satellites generally improve accuracy rather than degrade it.

Question 44Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect examines a vertical aerial photograph and notices that a tall building near the edge of the frame leans outward from the photo center. What is the cause of this apparent lean, and what product corrects it?

  1. Earth curvature; corrected by a projection change
  2. Lens distortion; corrected by camera calibration
  3. Relief displacement; corrected by orthorectification Correct answer.
  4. Atmospheric refraction; corrected by haze filtering

Explanation

Relief displacement is the radial outward lean of tall features on a vertical aerial photograph, increasing with feature height and distance from the principal point. Orthorectification removes this displacement using camera geometry and elevation data.

Question 45Inventory and Data Collection

Before calculating total lawn area from a newly digitized property GIS layer, a landscape architect checks that adjacent polygons share boundaries and do not overlap. Which GIS concept is being tested?

  1. Georeferencing
  2. Topology Correct answer.
  3. Raster resolution
  4. Attribute domain

Explanation

Topology defines spatial relationships such as adjacency, connectivity, and non-overlap among features. Checking shared boundaries and overlaps is a topology validation step, not a coordinate or attribute issue.

Question 46Inventory and Data Collection

A survey crew performs differential leveling from a benchmark with an elevation of 100.00 feet. The backsight reading is 5.32 feet and the foresight reading at a new point is 3.10 feet. What is the elevation of the new point?

  1. 102.22 feet Correct answer.
  2. 108.42 feet
  3. 91.58 feet
  4. 97.78 feet

Explanation

Height of instrument equals benchmark elevation plus backsight: 100.00 + 5.32 = 105.32 feet. The new point elevation equals height of instrument minus foresight: 105.32 - 3.10 = 102.22 feet.

Question 47Inventory and Data Collection

During a wetland delineation, a landscape architect records that the dominant plant species are obligate wetland and facultative wetland species. Which of the three wetland parameters is being documented?

  1. Hydrology
  2. Soils
  3. Topography
  4. Vegetation Correct answer.

Explanation

Wetland delineation relies on three parameters: hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology. Obligate and facultative wetland species are indicators used to document the vegetation parameter.

Question 48Inventory and Data Collection

A landscape architect uses a multispectral satellite image to compare vegetation vigor across a large park. Which band combination is used to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)?

  1. Red and blue
  2. Green and red
  3. Near-infrared and red Correct answer.
  4. Blue and near-infrared

Explanation

NDVI is calculated as near-infrared minus red, divided by near-infrared plus red. Healthy vegetation absorbs red light for photosynthesis and strongly reflects near-infrared energy.

Question 49Inventory and Data Collection

A 30-acre wooded site needs 1-foot contours for trail design, but the canopy is dense. The client provides only leaf-on aerial photography. Which approach is most defensible for developing a bare-earth terrain model?

  1. Classify ground returns from LiDAR and interpolate a bare-earth DEM Correct answer.
  2. Apply a uniform elevation offset to the photography to compensate for tree height
  3. Digitize contours directly from the leaf-on stereo photography after averaging canopy heights
  4. Use the photography's red band to filter out vegetation pixels before contouring

Explanation

LiDAR pulses can reach the ground through canopy gaps, and returns classified as ground support interpolation of a bare-earth DEM. Leaf-on photogrammetry generally models the canopy surface, and a uniform offset or red-band filter cannot reliably recover ground elevations.

Question 50Inventory and Data Collection

A legacy survey drawing is referenced to NAD27, but the project GIS is in NAD83 State Plane coordinates. Before overlaying the two, what must the landscape architect confirm?

  1. That the drawing uses a north arrow pointing to true north rather than grid north
  2. That the GIS layer has been converted from vector to raster before overlay
  3. That the drawing's contour interval matches the GIS DEM resolution
  4. That an appropriate datum transformation and coordinate units are applied Correct answer.

Explanation

NAD27 and NAD83 are different geodetic datums, so a coordinate transformation is required before the layers can be overlaid reliably. The transformation must also respect the coordinate units and projection used by the State Plane system.