SMQT Introduction to Surveying 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of survey establishes the exact boundaries of a parcel of land?
- Topographic survey
- Cadastral survey (Correct answer)
- Hydrographic survey
- Geodetic survey
Correct answer: Cadastral survey
A cadastral survey defines and documents land boundaries for legal ownership and taxation purposes.
Question 2: What does the term 'bearing' refer to in surveying?
- The elevation of a point above sea level
- The horizontal direction of a line relative to a reference meridian (Correct answer)
- The vertical angle between two points
- The distance measured along a slope
Correct answer: The horizontal direction of a line relative to a reference meridian
A bearing expresses the direction of a survey line as an angle measured from north or south toward east or west.
Question 3: A surveyor measures a distance of 500.00 feet with a steel tape. The tape is actually 500.25 feet long. What is the corrected distance?
- 499.75 feet
- 500.25 feet (Correct answer)
- 500.00 feet
- 500.50 feet
Correct answer: 500.25 feet
If the tape is longer than its nominal length, the measured distance must be increased by the same proportion.
Question 4: Which coordinate system divides the United States into zones to minimize distortion for local surveys?
- Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
- State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) (Correct answer)
- Geographic Coordinate System (GCS)
- Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Area
Correct answer: State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS)
The State Plane Coordinate System uses either Lambert Conformal Conic or Transverse Mercator projections per zone to keep distortion below 1:10,000.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of a control survey?
- To locate property corners on a parcel
- To establish precise horizontal and vertical reference points for other surveys (Correct answer)
- To determine the volume of earthwork on a construction site
- To map the underwater features of a lake
Correct answer: To establish precise horizontal and vertical reference points for other surveys
Control surveys create a network of accurately positioned monuments that serve as the foundation for all other survey work.
Question 6: In the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), what is a 'township' in terms of area?
- 1 square mile
- 6 square miles
- 36 square miles (Correct answer)
- 640 acres
Correct answer: 36 square miles
A township is a 6-mile by 6-mile square containing 36 sections, each one square mile in area.
Question 7: Which instrument is used to measure horizontal and vertical angles in surveying?
- Level
- Planimeter
- Theodolite (Correct answer)
- Clinometer
Correct answer: Theodolite
A theodolite (or total station) measures both horizontal and vertical angles with high precision.
SMQT Introduction to Surveying 2
Which type of survey establishes the exact boundaries of a parcel of land?