Unit 5 Quiz Questions

Question 1

All of these are ways to express a legal description EXCEPT

a. lot and block.
b. metes and bounds.
c. rectangular survey.
d. benchmarks.

Answer 1

Benchmarks

A benchmark is a permanent reference point used as a reference for marking datums, not a method of legal description.

Question 2

Air lots, condominium descriptions, and other vertical measurements may be computed from the U.S. Geological Survey

a. datum.
b. benchmark.
c. principal meridian.
d. base line.

Answer 2

Datum

The U.S. Geological Survey datum is defined as the mean sea level at New York Harbor. A surveyor uses the datum to determine the height of a structure or to establish the grade of a street.

Question 3

Six acres of undeveloped property are sold for $2.25 per square foot. How much did the buyer pay?

a. $466,560
b. $588,060
c. $612,360
d. $733,860

Answer 3

$588,060

The buyer paid $588,060:
43,560 square feet × 6 = 261,360 square feet
261,360 square feet × $2.25 = $588,060

Question 4

Which township section number is directly north of Section 7?

a. Section 1
b. Section 5
c. Section 6
d. Section 8

Answer 4

Section 6

A township is numbered in an S fashion: 1 through 6, right to left; then dropping down to 7 to 12, left to right. Section 7 is directly south of Section 6.

Question 5

Which of these MOST accurately describes the dimensions of a quarter-section?

a. ¼ mile by ¼ mile
b. ½ mile by ½ mile
c. ½ mile by 1 mile
d. ⅛ mile by ⅛ mile

Answer 5

1/2 mile by 1/2 mile

A section is 1 square mile.

Question 6

A buyer is willing to pay $1,200 per acre for the SE ¼ of the SE ¼ of the SE ¼ of Section 11. How much will the buyer pay for the land?

a. $3,000
b. $6,000
c. $12,000
d. $24,000

Answer 6

$12,000

The buyer is willing to pay $12,000:
¼ × 640 = 160
160 × ¼ = 40
40 × ¼ = 10 acres
10 acres × $1,200 = $12,000.

Question 7

In the past, a farm was typically a quarter section, or

a. 20 acres.
b. 80 acres.
c. 160 acres.
d. 320 acres.

Answer 7

160 Acres

A quarter of 640 acres is 160 acres.

Question 8

How many acres are contained in a parcel described as follows: The NE ¼ of the NW ¼; the N ½ of the NW ¼, NE ¼, of Section 10?

a. 40 acres
b. 60 acres
c. 70 acres
d. 74 acres

Answer 8

60 Acres

There are two parcels in this description denoted by the semicolon (;).
The first: ¼ × 640 = 160 and ¼ × 160 = 40 acres.
The second: ¼ × 640 = 160 and 160 × ¼ = 40 and 40 × ½ = 20 acres.
40 acres + 20 acres = 60 acres.

Question 9

The basic units of the rectangular survey system are the

a. base lines.
b. principal meridians.
c. ranges.
d. township squares.

Answer 9

Township Squares

Township squares are the basic units of the rectangular survey system. Principal meridians and base lines are the two sets of intersecting lines in the system. Ranges are the 6-mile strips
of land on either side of a principal meridian.

Question 10

A metes-and-bounds description is required in rectangular survey system descriptions when

a. quarter sections can be used to describe the tract.
b. describing an irregular tract.
c. a tract can be described by sections.
d. a tract follows the lot or block lines of a recorded subdivision or section.

Answer 10

Describing irregular tract

Metes-and-bounds descriptions within the rectangular survey system usually occur when describing an irregular tract, when a tract is too small to be describe by quarter-sections, or
when a tract does not follow the lot or block lines of a recorded subdivision or section, quarter-section lines, or other fractional section lines.

Question 11

What is the square footage of this property described by the metes-and-bounds method? Beginning at a point on the southerly side of Smith Street, 200 feet easterly from the corner
formed by the intersection of the southerly side of Smith Street and the easterly side of Johnson Street; then east 200 feet; then south 100 feet; then west 200 feet; then north 100 feet
to the POB.

a. 5,000 square feet
b. 10,000 square feet
c. 15,000 square feet
d. 20,000 square feet

Answer 11

20,000 Square feet

The property is 200’ x 100’ = 20,000 square feet

Question 12

The end of a metes-and-bounds land description is always a

a. monument.
b. benchmark.
c. point of beginning.
d. base line.

Answer 12

Points of beginning

A metes-and-bounds description must always begin and end at the point of beginning, thus enclosing the described property.

Question 13

The lot-and-block system starts with the preparation of

a. a subdivision plat.
b. a range map.
c. a survey.
d. an air lot.

Answer 13

A subdivision plat

The lot-and-block system starts with the preparation of a subdivision plat by a licensed
surveyor or an engineer.

Question 14

Questions 14-20 refer to quiz pdf for plot.

Question 15

When surveying land, a surveyor refers to the principal meridian that is

A. furthest from the land being surveyed.
B. in the same state as the land being surveyed.
C. not more than 40 townships or 15 ranges distant from the land being surveyed.
D. within the rectangular survey system area in which the land being surveyed is located.

Answer 15

Within the rectangular survey system area in which the land being surveyed is located

The answer is within the rectangular survey system area in which the land being surveyed is located. No matter how many ranges or tiers it takes, the description must always refer to the principalmeridian and the base line of the survey system area in which the land being described is located

Question 16

The N 1/2 straight N bevelled 1 half of the SW 1/4
SW bevelled 1 fourth of a section contains how many acres?

A. 20
B. 40
C. 60
D. 80

Answer 16

80

The answer is 80. A section contains 640 acres. A ½ of ¼ of 640 equals 80 acres. Using decimals, the equation is 0.5 × 0.25 × 640 = 80.

Question 17

In describing real estate, the method that may use a property’s physical features to determine boundaries and measurements is

A. rectangular survey.
B.metes and bounds.
C. government survey.
D. lot and block.

Answer 17

Meted and bounds

The answer is metes and bounds. Monuments are the turning points in the metes-and-bounds method of describing property. In this method, natural, tangible features, such as a distinctive rock or a great tree, were sometimes used as monuments. The path of a stream might serve as all or part of a boundary line. Metes means distance; bounds refers to direction (not boundaries). The description gives distance in a compass direction from the point of beginning (POB) and then from each succeeding monument, until it returns to the POB.

Question 18

A buyer purchased a half-acre parcel for $2.15 per square foot. What was the selling price of the parcel?

A. $774
B. $1,376
C. $46,827
D. $93,654

Answer 18

$46,827

The answer is $46,827. An acre consists of 43,560 square feet; therefore, a half-acre has 21,780 square feet. If each square foot sells for $2.15, 21,780 sq. ft. × $2.15 per sq. ft. = $46,827.

Question 19

How many acres are contained in the tract described as “beginning at the NW corner of the SW 1/4
SW bevelled 1 fourth, then south along the west line to the SW corner of the section, then east along the south line of the section 2,640 feet, more or less, to the SE corner of the said
SW 1/4 SW bevelled 1 fourth, then in a straight line to the POB”?

A. 80 acres
B. 90 acres
C. 100 acres
D. 160 acres

Answer 19

80 Acres

The answer is 80 acres. The area described is a triangle formed when a quarter of a section is cut from one corner to the opposite corner. A section has 640 acres, a quarter-section has 160 acres, and half of that quarter has 80 acres.

Question 20

If a farm described as “the NW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of Section 10, Township 2 North, Range 3 West of the 6th. P.M.” sold for $4,500 an acre, what was the total sales price?

A. $45,000
B.$90,000
C. $135,000
D. $180,000

Answer 20

$180,000

The answer is $180,000. Disregard all elements of the description except those showing area. It is a quarter of a quarter of a section, or 1?16 of 640,, or 40 acres. When sold, each acre brought $4,500, so the gross selling price is calculated as follows: 40 acres × $4,500 = $180,000.

Question 21

As a legal description, “the northwest 1/4 of the southwest 1/4 of Section 6, Township 4 North, Range 7 West” is defective because it contains no reference to

A. lot numbers.
B. boundary lines.
C. a principal meridian.
D. a record of survey.

Answer 21

A principal meridian.

The answer is a principal meridian. A property description based on the rectangular survey system must always make reference to the principal meridian and the base line of the survey system area in which the property lies. This description makes no reference to a principal meridian

Question 22

A buyer purchases 4.5 acres of land for $78,400. An adjoining owner wants to purchase a strip of this land measuring 150 feet by 100 feet. What should this strip cost the adjoining owner if it is sold for the same price per square foot originally paid?

A. $3,000
B. $6,000
C. $7,800
D. $9,400

Answer 22

$6,000

The answer is $6,000. Price divided by area (in square feet) gives cost per square foot. The area is 4.5 times the size of one acre, or 4.5 × 43,560 sq. ft. = 196,020 sq. ft. Then, $78,400 divided by 196,020 sq. ft. = $0.3996 (essentially, $0.40) per square foot. Determining the purchase price of a 100-by-150- foot lot at the same cost per square foot requires finding the area of the lot: 100 × 150 = 15,000 sq. ft. Multiply this area by $0.40: 15,000 sq. ft. × $0.40 = $6,000.

Question 23

Which of the following are NOT basic components of a metes-and-bounds description?

A. Tangible and intangible monuments
B. Base lines, principal meridians, and townships
C. Degrees, minutes, and seconds
D. Points of beginning

Answer 23

Base lines, principal meridians, and townships

The answer is base lines, principal meridians, and townships. Base lines, meridians, and townships are elements of the rectangular survey system, not the metes-and-bounds system.

Question 24

A property contains 10 acres. How many lots of not less than 50 feet by 100 feet can be subdivided from the property if 26,000 square feet were dedicated for roads?

A. 80
B. 81
C. 82
D. 83

Answer 24

81

The answer is 81. The area of ten acres in square feet is figured as follows: 10 acres × 43,560 sq. ft. = 435,600 sq. ft. Reserving 26,000 square feet for roads leaves 409,600 square feet. The area of each lot is to be not less than 5,000 square feet: 50’ ×100’ = 5,000 sq. ft. Divide the available square footage by the square footage needed for each lot: 409,600 sq. ft. ÷ 5,000 square feet = 81.92. Because each lot must be “not less than 50 feet × 100 feet,” the property can be subdivided into 81 such lots

Question 25

A parcel of land is 400 feet by 640 feet. The parcel is cut in half diagonally by a stream. How many acres are in each half of the parcel?

A. 2.75
B. 2.94
C. 5.51
D. 5.88

Answer 25

2.94

The answer is 2.94. The parcel is 256,000 square feet: 400’ × 640’ = 256,000 sq. ft. Half of it is 128,000 square feet. Each acre requires 43,560 square feet. Therefore: 128,000 sq. ft. ÷ 43,560 sq. ft. per acre = 2.938 acres (rounded to three decimal places). The nearest answer is 2.94.

Question 26

What is the shortest distance between Section 1 and Section 36 in the same township?

A. Three miles
B. Four miles
C. Five miles
D. Six miles

Answer 26

Four miles

The answer is four miles. The shortest distance from Section 1 to Section 36 is from the bottom of Section 1 to the top of Section 36, or four miles.

Question 27

In any township, what is the number of the section designated as the school section?

A. 1
B. 16
C. 25
D. 36

Answer 27

16

The answer is 16. Section 16 is one of the centrally located sections in the standard township and is designated as the school section.

Question 28

The LEAST specific method for identifying real property is

A. rectangular survey.
B. metes and bounds.
C. street address.
D. lot and block.

Answer 28

Street Address

The answer is street address. A legal description is a precise method of identifying a parcel of land and includes metes-and-bounds, rectangular survey,and lot-and-block as methods that can be used for identification. A street address is not a legal description and, therefore, not as precise.