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NY Land Surveyor practice questions

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Question 1Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A 1952 deed describes a parcel as beginning at 'the large oak tree at the northeast corner of the Smith farm' and running thence south 200 feet. During a retracement, the surveyor finds the decayed stump of the original oak at a location 12 feet north of where the deed distance would place the corner. Which evidence governs the corner location?

  1. The deed distance, because the oak no longer stands and cannot serve as a monument.
  2. A new point midway between the stump and the distance point, to balance the conflict.
  3. The nearest section corner, because the oak is a natural object rather than a boundary monument.
  4. The stump, because an original monument controls over distance. Correct answer.

Explanation

When a deed calls for an original monument and also gives a distance, the monument is the better evidence of the grantor's intent, and the distance yields. The stump is the remains of the called-for oak, so it fixes the corner despite the conflict with the deed distance.

Question 2Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Under New York's adverse possession statute, what is the minimum period during which a claimant must actually possess a private parcel before a claim ripens?

  1. 5 years
  2. 15 years
  3. 10 years Correct answer.
  4. 20 years

Explanation

New York's adverse possession statute, RPAPL 501, requires ten years of adverse possession before a private claim ripens. The period is measured by actual possession, not by the filing of a survey or a tax map.

Question 3Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A deed conveys a farm 'bounded on the west by Black Creek' and contains no reservation or call fixing the boundary at the bank. Black Creek is a non-navigable stream. Under New York law, the grantee's title generally extends to which line?

  1. The ordinary high-water mark on the west side of the creek
  2. The ordinary low-water mark on the west side of the creek
  3. The first public highway west of the creek
  4. The thread or centerline of the creek Correct answer.

Explanation

For a non-navigable stream, New York presumes that a grant bounded by the stream carries title to the thread or centerline unless the deed clearly reserves or limits the boundary. The grantee therefore takes to the center, not merely to the bank.

Question 4Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A retracement of a regular section finds the original south section corner and the original north section corner, but the quarter-section corner between them is lost. The record distance from the south corner to the quarter corner is 2,640 feet; the measured distance between the two found section corners is 5,300 feet. How should the lost quarter corner be reestablished?

  1. At a point set by the record bearing from the south corner and the record bearing from the north corner
  2. At one-half the measured distance, or 2,650 feet from each found section corner Correct answer.
  3. At 2,640 feet from the north section corner along the line
  4. At 2,640 feet from the south section corner along the line

Explanation

A lost quarter-section corner between found section corners is reestablished by proportionment, not by holding the record distance. Because the record places it at the midpoint, half of the measured 5,300-foot line, or 2,650 feet, is set from each found corner.

Question 5Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Owen owns a 100-acre tract. He conveys the west 60 acres to Alice by a recorded deed. He later conveys the east 50 acres to Ben. The two descriptions overlap by 10 acres. In a quiet-title action between Alice and Ben over the overlap, who prevails?

  1. Ben, because his deed was recorded later and covers the east 50 acres.
  2. Alice and Ben equally, because the overlap is a mutual mistake.
  3. Neither, because the overlap makes both deeds void as to the 10 acres.
  4. Alice, because her prior conveyance severed the west 60 acres. Correct answer.

Explanation

Under the rule of seniority, the first conveyance of the overlapping land prevails, and the later grantee takes only what the grantor had left. Alice's earlier deed therefore controls the 10-acre overlap.

Question 6Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

In New York, a boundary may be established by practical location when which showing is made?

  1. One neighbor uses land beyond the deed line for five years without any objection from the record owner.
  2. A dispute or uncertainty exists, the neighbors agree on a line, and they treat it as the boundary. Correct answer.
  3. A surveyor marks a line and files a map with the county clerk.
  4. The neighbors orally agree on a line, regardless of how long they acquiesce.

Explanation

Practical location requires more than a casual oral agreement; there must be a dispute or uncertainty, an agreement to fix the line, and conduct consistent with that line. It binds the parties because they have substituted a practical boundary for the uncertain deed line.

Question 7Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A deed's third call reads 'thence along the line of the adjoining Jones lot to a stone post.' The surveyor finds the Jones line marked by a long-standing fence that bears 3 degrees off the deed bearing. The stone post is gone. In retracing the line, how should the surveyor treat the call?

  1. Run the deed bearing and set the post at the deed distance.
  2. Average the deed bearing and the fence bearing to avoid favoring either owner.
  3. Ignore the Jones line and run the deed bearing, because the stone post is lost and cannot control.
  4. Follow the Jones line shown by the fence, because a call for an adjoiner controls. Correct answer.

Explanation

A call for an adjoining owner's line is treated as a monument call and controls over a recorded bearing or distance that conflicts with it. The long-standing fence is evidence of the Jones line, so the surveyor should follow it rather than the deed bearing.

Question 8Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A deed to lakefront property describes the shore as running along a meander line shown on an official survey, and the deed also calls for the lake as the boundary. What is the legal effect of the meander line?

  1. It limits the grantee to the upland and reserves the shore to the state.
  2. It is not a boundary; it only locates area, and the water controls. Correct answer.
  3. It is the true boundary because it appears on the official survey.
  4. It is a boundary only if the lake is non-navigable.

Explanation

A meander line is run to compute the area of the upland and is not a boundary of the grant. When the deed calls for the lake, the water boundary, not the meander line, fixes the limit of title.

Question 9Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

For more than the ten-year statutory period, Adkins and Baker treated an old hedgerow as their boundary and improved up to it, although both knew the deed line might lie several feet away. Neither objected. A new survey shows the hedgerow is 9 feet east of the deed line. Adkins, who would gain the strip under the hedgerow line, sues to quiet title. What is the most likely result?

  1. Neither party prevails, because the statutory period restarts when the survey is made.
  2. Adkins prevails, because long acquiescence in the hedgerow fixes the boundary. Correct answer.
  3. Baker prevails, because a deed line always overrides a fence or hedgerow.
  4. Adkins prevails only if he proves the hedgerow was intended as a permanent monument in the deed.

Explanation

A boundary by practical location may be established by acquiescence in a visible line for the statutory period, even if that line differs from the deed line. Once established, the practical boundary binds the parties and their successors, so the new survey does not reopen it.

Question 10Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A non-navigable river gradually deposits sediment along the east bank of a riparian parcel, adding 30 feet of dry land over 20 years. Later, a single flood cuts a new channel and suddenly moves the main flow 100 feet east, leaving the former channel dry. Under New York riparian-boundary law, how are the additions treated?

  1. Both the gradual addition and the avulsive change belong to the riparian owner.
  2. The addition belongs to the state as newly formed land, and the avulsive change moves the boundary.
  3. Both changes belong to the state, because the river is navigable and the state owns the bed.
  4. The gradual addition is accretion belonging to the riparian owner; the avulsion does not move the boundary. Correct answer.

Explanation

Gradual accretion belongs to the riparian owner because it is a slow, imperceptible addition to the bank. A sudden avulsion does not change the boundary; the boundary remains where the river ran before the flood.

Question 11Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Under the hierarchy of calls used to construe a New York deed, which evidence generally carries the greatest weight in locating a boundary?

  1. A natural monument called for in the deed Correct answer.
  2. A later surveyor's computed line
  3. The acreage recited in the deed
  4. The bearing and distance stated in the deed

Explanation

New York follows the traditional hierarchy: natural monuments control over artificial monuments, which control over courses and distances, which in turn control over area. Acreage is the least reliable call and yields to monuments and measurements. A later surveyor's computation cannot overcome the original calls in the deed.

Question 12Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A surveyor is retracing a parcel described in an 1873 deed that calls for original stone bounds and bearing trees. The surveyor's proper role is to:

  1. use the record distances even when an original monument is found
  2. follow the original surveyor's footsteps and give effect to the original monuments Correct answer.
  3. establish new lines that conform to current possession
  4. reject all evidence that is not recorded in the deed

Explanation

Retracement is the process of reestablishing the original boundary as it was surveyed and described, not establishing a new one. Original monuments and other evidence of the original survey control over record distances. The surveyor should search for and follow the footsteps of the original surveyor.

Question 13Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A New York deed conveys a parcel 'bounded on the north by County Road' and reserves no part of the road. In the absence of contrary intent, the grantee's fee boundary is:

  1. the south edge of the road pavement
  2. the centerline of the road, subject to the public easement Correct answer.
  3. the centerline of the road, free of any public easement
  4. the north edge of the road right-of-way

Explanation

A conveyance bounding on a public highway generally carries fee title to the centerline of the road, subject to the public's easement for travel. The presumption is rebuttable by language showing a contrary intent. The grantee does not receive the road free of the public easement.

Question 14Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

During a single flood, a non-navigable river abandons its channel and cuts a new one 40 feet east through a riparian owner's land. Under the avulsion rule, the boundary between the riparian parcels:

  1. remains at the old thread of the former channel Correct answer.
  2. moves to the new thread of the river
  3. moves only if the shift is recorded on a survey map
  4. moves to the new ordinary high-water mark

Explanation

Avulsion is a sudden, perceptible change in a watercourse, and it does not move riparian boundaries. The boundary remains where the thread of the stream was before the shift. Gradual accretion or erosion, by contrast, can change the boundary.

Question 15Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A deed describes a lot by number and refers to a filed subdivision plat that shows iron pins at the lot corners. A later survey finds the pins displaced and the lot contains 0.92 acre although the deed recites 1.0 acre. The boundary is controlled by:

  1. the plat and its original monuments Correct answer.
  2. the recited 1.0 acre, because area is a call
  3. the later survey's measured lines
  4. the tax map depiction

Explanation

A deed's reference to a filed plat incorporates the plat into the conveyance. The original monuments shown on the plat control over the recited area, which is the least reliable element of a description. A later survey or tax map cannot override the original plat monuments.

Question 16Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Before a road-widening project destroys an original concrete monument at a parcel corner, the surveyor's best practice is to:

  1. replace the monument with a new one at the nearest fence corner
  2. wait until construction is complete and set a new corner at the same record coordinates
  3. establish and record ties from the monument to nearby permanent reference points Correct answer.
  4. record only a photograph of the monument without measurements

Explanation

Perpetuating evidence means creating a reliable record of the monument's location before it is lost. Ties to permanent reference points allow the original position to be reestablished later. A photograph without measurements does not preserve the location precisely.

Question 17Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A deed bounds a parcel on the east by a navigable, non-tidal river in New York, without any reservation. Under New York law, the riparian boundary is:

  1. the meander line shown on the last filed survey
  2. the thread of the river
  3. the low-water mark, with the bed owned by the state Correct answer.
  4. the mean high-water mark

Explanation

In New York, the state holds title to the bed of a navigable, non-tidal river, and the riparian owner's boundary is the low-water mark. A meander line is generally not a boundary but a line run to compute area. The thread of the stream governs only for non-navigable streams.

Question 18Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

An 1890 deed calls for a granite post at a corner. In 2020 a landowner moved the post 6 feet east and reset it in concrete. The original location can be proven by an old fence line and bearing trees. The boundary is:

  1. at a new line agreed to by the adjoining owners
  2. at the reset post, because it is the monument called for
  3. at the original location proven by the fence line and bearing trees Correct answer.
  4. at the record bearing and distance from the nearest corner

Explanation

A boundary monument, once established, fixes the line at its original location. If the monument is later moved, the original position controls when it can be proven by reliable evidence such as fence lines and bearing trees. The reset post does not become the true corner merely because it is the called-for object.

Question 19Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A deed description is ambiguous because two calls conflict, and the ambiguity cannot be resolved from the deed's four corners. In a New York boundary dispute, the court may:

  1. disregard the deed and award the disputed strip to the occupant
  2. apply only the recorded acreage as a matter of law
  3. admit extrinsic evidence to explain the ambiguity and locate the intended boundary Correct answer.
  4. reform the deed without any showing of mistake

Explanation

When a deed is ambiguous, a court may admit extrinsic evidence to explain the ambiguity and determine the parties' intent. Extrinsic evidence cannot be used to contradict a clear deed. Reformation requires a showing of mistake, not merely ambiguity.

Question 20Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

An 1850 deed describes a boundary with magnetic bearings. A retracement surveyor finds no original monuments along the line and notes that magnetic declination has changed significantly since 1850. The surveyor should:

  1. use current magnetic bearings because the deed is presumed to follow current north
  2. ignore the bearings and run a line due north from the nearest corner
  3. apply the 1850 bearings directly to the current magnetic meridian
  4. correct the record bearings for secular variation and local attraction, then check against any available evidence Correct answer.

Explanation

Magnetic north changes over time, so an 1850 bearing cannot be run directly on today's compass. The surveyor should correct for secular variation and local attraction, then test the result against monuments and other evidence. Original monuments, when found, still control over corrected bearings.

Question 21Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A 1924 New York deed conveys a parcel by metes and bounds tied to an original iron pin and a stone wall and recites that the parcel contains '20 acres, more or less.' A retracement shows the described bounds enclose 18.4 acres. Which description generally controls the boundary location?

  1. The current tax map acreage.
  2. The called-for monuments and bounds. Correct answer.
  3. The acreage averaged with the bounds.
  4. The stated acreage, because it is a specific quantity.

Explanation

In deed construction, quantity or area is the least reliable call and generally yields to specific monuments, courses, and distances. A 'more or less' acreage recital does not override the actual bounds tied to the original pin and wall. The retracement should therefore follow the monuments and bounds rather than adjust the line to reach 20 acres.

Question 22Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Under New York law, which characteristic must a claimant's possession have to support a claim of adverse possession?

  1. It must be permissive.
  2. It must be secret so the owner is not alerted.
  3. It must be occasional and intermittent.
  4. It must be hostile under a claim of right. Correct answer.

Explanation

Adverse possession in New York requires possession that is actual, open and notorious, exclusive, continuous for the statutory period, and hostile under a claim of right. Since the 2008 amendments, a claim of right generally requires a reasonable basis for believing the land belongs to the possessor. Secret, permissive, or occasional use does not satisfy those elements.

Question 23Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Ramos occupies a disputed strip of his neighbor's land for six years. He then sells his parcel to Chen, who openly occupies the same strip for five more years. The neighbor sues after eleven years. Can Ramos and Chen combine their periods for adverse possession in New York?

  1. Yes, if the possession was successive and there was privity between them. Correct answer.
  2. Yes, but only if the neighbor paid the taxes during the entire period.
  3. No, because tacking is never allowed in New York.
  4. No, because each possession was shorter than the statutory period.

Explanation

Successive adverse possessors may tack their periods when possession is transferred with privity, such as by a deed or sale of the adjoining parcel. Tacking allows the combined period to meet New York's ten-year statutory period. Because six years plus five years exceeds ten, the claim can be timely if the other elements are met.

Question 24Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A New York deed describes a coastal parcel as bounded on the east by the waters of a tidal bay, with no reservation of any strip. In the absence of a contrary grant, the parcel's boundary is at which line?

  1. The thread of the bay.
  2. The outer limit of the state's submerged lands.
  3. The mean high water line. Correct answer.
  4. The mean low water line.

Explanation

For land bounded by tidal waters in New York, the upland boundary is presumptively the mean high water line, and the state holds title below that line in trust for the public. A deed to the bay therefore stops at mean high water unless a contrary grant or reservation is shown. Mean low water and the thread of the bay are not the ordinary upland boundary for tidal waters.

Question 25Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

While retracing an 1850 metes-and-bounds line, a surveyor finds old ax blazes and hack marks on trees that stand along the deed course. The trees are not called for in the deed. What is the best use of this evidence?

  1. It is irrelevant because the trees are not mentioned in the deed.
  2. It is evidence of the original survey line and may corroborate or control the course. Correct answer.
  3. It conclusively establishes a prescriptive easement.
  4. It proves the deed's acreage is wrong.

Explanation

Old blazes and hack marks on line trees are collateral evidence that the original surveyor marked the line, even when the trees are not expressly called for in the deed. They can corroborate the deed course and, if sufficiently identified as original, may control over a later measured bearing or distance. They do not by themselves create an easement or establish acreage.

Question 26Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

In boundary retracement, what is the distinction between an obliterated corner and a lost corner?

  1. It is always marked by a witness; a lost corner is never marked.
  2. It is a government corner; a lost corner is a private corner.
  3. It was destroyed by water; a lost corner was destroyed by man.
  4. Evidence of its original location exists; a lost corner has none. Correct answer.

Explanation

An obliterated corner is one whose original position can still be recovered from physical or documentary evidence, such as nearby monuments or original field notes. A lost corner has no such evidence of its original location, so it is reestablished by proportionate methods from the nearest known original corners. The distinction controls the retracement method.

Question 27Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A non-navigable stream gradually erodes the west bank of a riparian parcel over 25 years, moving the thread of the stream 15 feet east. The deed bounds the parcel by the stream without reservation. What happens to the boundary?

  1. It moves west, adding the eroded strip to the owner.
  2. It moves east with the thread, and the owner loses the strip. Correct answer.
  3. It is controlled by the acreage call in the deed.
  4. It remains fixed at the original thread line because erosion does not change boundaries.

Explanation

Gradual and imperceptible erosion changes the boundary of land bounded by a non-navigable stream, so the riparian owner loses the strip worn away. The boundary follows the thread of the stream as it shifts, unless the deed clearly fixes a different line. A sudden avulsion would instead leave the old boundary unchanged.

Question 28Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A federal survey field note calls for a marked stone as a 'witness corner' to a section corner that lies in an impassable marsh. In retracing the section, how should the surveyor treat the marked stone?

  1. As evidence of the true corner, but not as the corner itself. Correct answer.
  2. As a meaningless mark because witness corners are not original monuments.
  3. As the true section corner, because it is the only original monument found.
  4. As a meander corner controlling the water boundary.

Explanation

A witness corner is a marked monument placed near a true corner that the original surveyor could not occupy, often because of a swamp or other obstacle. It is original survey evidence that helps locate the true corner but does not itself become the section corner. The retracement should use it to reconstruct the true corner's position, not simply adopt it as the corner.

Question 29Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A riparian owner on a non-navigable river places 20 feet of artificial fill along the bank, extending the land into the river. The deed bounds the parcel by the river. Does the boundary move by accretion to include the fill?

  1. No, because accretion requires gradual natural deposit, not artificial fill. Correct answer.
  2. Yes, because any addition to the bank is accretion.
  3. Yes, if the fill was in place for the ten-year adverse possession period.
  4. No, because riparian boundaries never move.

Explanation

Accretion is the gradual, imperceptible addition of land by natural causes, and only that natural process shifts a riparian boundary. Artificial fill placed by the owner is not accretion, so the deed boundary remains at the original water line unless a statute or grant authorizes the fill. The fill may also constitute a trespass on state or adjoining interests.

Question 30Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

What is the primary purpose of a boundary retracement survey in New York?

  1. To locate existing boundaries as originally established. Correct answer.
  2. To transfer title from the seller to the buyer.
  3. To establish the assessed value of the parcel.
  4. To create new lot lines that supersede the deed.

Explanation

A retracement survey follows in the footsteps of the original surveyor to locate boundaries already established by the deed or original survey. It does not create new boundary lines, set assessed values, or transfer title. The surveyor's task is to recover and monument the existing boundary as accurately as the evidence permits.

Question 31Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Under New York law, what is the general statutory period for a private adverse possession claim?

  1. 15 years
  2. 10 years Correct answer.
  3. 25 years
  4. 20 years

Explanation

RPAPL 501 sets the general period for adverse possession of private land in New York at 10 years. The claimant must also satisfy the elements of the doctrine, and claims involving public land are governed by separate rules.

Question 32Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

A 1910 deed conveys a parcel bounded on the west by a non-navigable creek. The deed's map shows a meander line 25 feet east of the creek bank and recites an area of 40 acres. The creek has not moved. What is the western boundary?

  1. The east bank, because that is the high-water mark
  2. The thread of the creek, because it is non-navigable Correct answer.
  3. The meander line, because it is the line depicted on the deed map
  4. The centerline only if the deed expressly says so

Explanation

A meander line is ordinarily only a reference used to compute area and is not itself a boundary. When a deed bounds land on a non-navigable stream, New York presumes the grant extends to the thread of the stream unless the deed clearly reserves or limits the grant.

Question 33Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

In 1965, Owen receives a deed to a 10-acre parcel but does not record it. In 1975, the same grantor deeds the same parcel to Patel, who pays fair value, has no actual or constructive notice of Owen's deed, and records immediately. Under New York law, who holds superior title?

  1. Owen, because the 1965 deed is older
  2. Patel, but only after 10 years of occupation
  3. Patel, because he recorded first without notice Correct answer.
  4. Owen, because the grantor could not convey twice

Explanation

New York is a race-notice jurisdiction: a subsequent purchaser who pays value, takes without notice of a prior unrecorded deed, and records first prevails. Patel satisfies those conditions, so Patel's title is superior to Owen's earlier unrecorded deed.

Question 34Boundary Law and Retracement of Boundaries

Two adjoining owners have treated a fence as their boundary for 25 years. The deed line is clear from the records, and neither owner was ever uncertain about where it ran. A dispute arises. Under New York law, can the fence line be established as the boundary by practical location?

  1. No, because practical location applies only to boundaries along navigable waters
  2. No, because the true line was not uncertain or disputed Correct answer.
  3. Yes, if the fence remained in place for the 10-year adverse possession period
  4. Yes, because a fence treated as the boundary for many years conclusively fixes the line

Explanation

Practical location settles a boundary that is uncertain or disputed through agreement and subsequent acquiescence. When the true line is known and not in dispute, an agreement to treat a different line as the boundary is treated as a conveyance and requires a written instrument satisfying the Statute of Frauds.

Question 35Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

After a total station is leveled over a control point, what is the purpose of the backsight observation?

  1. To determine the prism constant for the backsight target
  2. To check the circular level vial and optical plummet
  3. To measure the vertical instrument height above the ground mark
  4. To orient the horizontal circle Correct answer.

Explanation

A backsight turns the horizontal circle so that subsequent horizontal angles are referenced to a known bearing or azimuth. Instrument height is measured separately with a tape or rod, and the prism constant is an instrument setting based on the prism being used. The level vials and optical plummet are checked during setup, before the backsight is taken.

Question 36Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

During a differential leveling run, what condition must a turning point satisfy?

  1. It must be located exactly halfway between instrument setups.
  2. It must be a published benchmark of known elevation.
  3. It must remain stable between foresight and backsight. Correct answer.
  4. It must be reoccupied after the level is moved forward.

Explanation

A turning point carries the elevation forward from one instrument setup to the next, so the rod must not move or settle between the foresight and the backsight. A turning point does not need to be a published benchmark, nor must it be centered between setups. If the rod moves at a turning point, the elevation loop is compromised.

Question 37Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

In a real-time kinematic GNSS survey, what does the rover require to produce centimeter-level positions in the field?

  1. A barometric altimeter tied to a local benchmark
  2. A real-time correction stream from a base or network Correct answer.
  3. An inertial measurement unit for tilt compensation
  4. A second rover collecting static observations

Explanation

RTK positioning depends on real-time carrier-phase corrections from a base station or a network service so the rover can resolve ambiguities and correct atmospheric and satellite errors. Without that correction link, the rover falls back to autonomous or postprocessed positioning. A second static rover, a tilt sensor, or a barometer does not replace the RTK correction stream.

Question 38Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

If the air temperature is higher than the EDM's standard reference temperature, what is the effect on an uncorrected slope distance?

  1. It is too long because light travels faster in warm air than in standard air.
  2. It is too short because the assumed light speed is lower than actual. Correct answer.
  3. It is too long because the modulation frequency increases with air temperature.
  4. It is too short because the prism constant changes with air temperature.

Explanation

Warmer air has a lower refractive index, so the light travels faster than at the instrument's standard reference condition. If the EDM still uses the standard, lower speed to convert travel time to distance, the computed distance is too short. A positive atmospheric correction must be applied to the uncorrected distance.

Question 39Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A closed traverse has a total horizontal length of 2,500.00 ft and a linear misclosure of 0.25 ft. What is the traverse precision expressed as a ratio?

  1. 1:6,250
  2. 1:10,000 Correct answer.
  3. 1:2,500
  4. 1:25,000

Explanation

Traverse precision is the total traverse length divided by the linear misclosure: 2,500.00 ft ÷ 0.25 ft = 10,000, giving a ratio of 1:10,000. The ratio expresses how many units of traverse length correspond to one unit of closure error. A smaller misclosure for the same total length would produce a larger second term and therefore a better precision.

Question 40Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

What is the approximate combined curvature and refraction correction for a horizontal leveling sight of 2,000 ft?

  1. 0.021 ft
  2. 0.082 ft Correct answer.
  3. 0.206 ft
  4. 0.824 ft

Explanation

The combined curvature and refraction correction is approximately 0.0206D², where D is the sight distance in thousands of feet. For D = 2.000, the correction is 0.0206 × 4.000 = 0.082 ft. The correction is subtracted from the rod reading because curvature makes the reading too high and refraction only partly offsets that effect.

Question 41Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A total station is configured with a prism constant of 0 mm, but the prism actually has a constant of +30 mm. How does this affect every measured distance?

  1. Each distance is long by 30 mm.
  2. Each distance is short by 30 mm. Correct answer.
  3. Only distances longer than 100 m are affected.
  4. The error varies with the angle of incidence on the prism.

Explanation

A prism constant is a fixed offset between the prism's optical reference and the point being measured. If the actual constant is +30 mm but the instrument is set to 0 mm, the positive correction is omitted and every distance is short by 30 mm. The error is systematic, so it applies to all distances rather than only long ones.

Question 42Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

An RTK rover reports positions in the New York State Plane Coordinate System. A distance computed from two State Plane coordinate pairs is 1,000.000 ft, while a carefully taped ground distance between the same monuments is 1,000.140 ft. Which factor most likely explains the difference?

  1. The base station's broadcast was in meters rather than feet.
  2. The State Plane scale and elevation factors differ from unity. Correct answer.
  3. The rover's antenna height was entered incorrectly.
  4. The prism constant was set for a different prism.

Explanation

State Plane coordinates are grid values, so a distance computed from them is a grid distance rather than a ground distance. The difference between grid and ground distances is explained by the map projection scale factor combined with the elevation factor. A unit-conversion error would produce a large systematic factor, and antenna-height or prism errors do not create this consistent horizontal scale difference.

Question 43Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

Point A has coordinates N 5,000.00, E 5,000.00. Point B has coordinates N 4,913.40, E 5,150.00. What is the bearing from A to B?

  1. S 60°00' E Correct answer.
  2. N 60°00' W
  3. S 60°00' W
  4. S 30°00' E

Explanation

From A to B, ΔN = 4,913.40 − 5,000.00 = −86.60 ft and ΔE = 5,150.00 − 5,000.00 = +150.00 ft. The negative northing and positive easting place the bearing in the southeast quadrant. The angle from south is arctan(150.00 / 86.60) = 60°00', so the bearing is S 60°00' E.

Question 44Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A total station reads 12°00'00" in face left and 192°00'20" in face right to the same target. What horizontal collimation error is indicated?

  1. 0"
  2. 40"
  3. 20"
  4. 10" Correct answer.

Explanation

In a perfectly adjusted instrument, the face-right reading differs from the face-left reading by exactly 180°. Here the difference is 180°00'20", so the total discrepancy is 20". Horizontal collimation error is half of that discrepancy, or 10", and the mean direction is 12°00'10".

Question 45Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A surveyor occupies an unknown point with a total station and observes horizontal and vertical angles and distances to three known control points. This field procedure is used primarily to determine what?

  1. The occupied station's coordinates and orientation Correct answer.
  2. The elevation of each control point from one backsight
  3. The State Plane scale factor at each control point
  4. The prism constant for each observed control point

Explanation

Observing distances and angles to known control points from an unknown occupied station is a resection, often called a free-station setup. The observations fix the instrument station's coordinates and orient the horizontal circle to the control network. The known points' coordinates and elevations are already fixed by the control survey, so they are not the quantity being determined.

Question 46Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

Before a leveling run, a surveyor performs a two-peg test on an automatic level. What condition does this test primarily check?

  1. Whether the optical plummet is aligned with the vertical axis
  2. Whether the tripod head is level within 1 minute of arc
  3. Whether the leveling rod is plumb in both directions
  4. Whether the line of sight is parallel to the bubble axis Correct answer.

Explanation

The two-peg test reveals collimation error, the condition in which the instrument's line of sight is not parallel to the axis of the bubble tube or compensator reference. A difference between the two peg readings after the instrument is moved close to one peg indicates that error. Rod plumb and tripod leveling are checked by other means.

Question 47Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A benchmark at elevation 412.50 ft has a backsight rod reading of 3.25 ft. A foresight reading of 1.05 ft is then taken on a turning point from the same instrument setup. What is the elevation of the turning point?

  1. 409.25 ft
  2. 408.20 ft
  3. 414.70 ft Correct answer.
  4. 413.55 ft

Explanation

The height of instrument is the benchmark elevation plus the backsight: 412.50 + 3.25 = 415.75 ft. The turning-point elevation is the height of instrument minus the foresight: 415.75 - 1.05 = 414.70 ft. This is a standard differential-leveling reduction from one instrument setup.

Question 48Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A total station occupies a point with instrument height 5.20 ft. It sights a prism with height 8.00 ft at a slope distance of 1,000.00 ft and a zenith angle of 88°30′00″. What is the elevation difference between the ground points?

  1. 23.38 ft Correct answer.
  2. 26.18 ft
  3. 31.38 ft
  4. 20.98 ft

Explanation

The vertical component of the slope distance is 1,000.00 × cos 88°30′00″ = 26.18 ft. The ground-to-ground difference is that vertical component plus the instrument height minus the prism height: 26.18 + 5.20 - 8.00 = 23.38 ft. The zenith angle is measured from vertical, so the cosine gives the vertical component.

Question 49Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A closed five-sided polygon traverse has a sum of measured interior angles of 539°58′20″. What is the angular misclosure?

  1. 0°00′40″
  2. 0°01′40″ Correct answer.
  3. 0°00′20″
  4. 0°02′00″

Explanation

For a five-sided closed polygon, the theoretical sum of interior angles is (5 - 2) × 180° = 540°00′00″. The measured sum is 539°58′20″, which is 1′40″ less than the theoretical sum. Therefore the angular misclosure is 0°01′40″.

Question 50Field Survey Operations and Measurement Technology

A 100-ft steel tape standardized at 68°F is used at 95°F to measure 500.00 ft. Using a coefficient of thermal expansion of 6.5×10⁻⁶ per °F, what is the corrected distance?

  1. 500.027 ft
  2. 500.000 ft
  3. 500.088 ft Correct answer.
  4. 499.912 ft

Explanation

The temperature correction is ΔL = L α (T - T₀) = 500.00 × 6.5×10⁻⁶ × (95 - 68) = +0.088 ft. Because the tape is longer than standard at the higher temperature, the measured distance is increased by that amount. The corrected distance is therefore 500.088 ft.