The government survey system is a grid-based system using which units?

• A. Distances and directions from a starting point.
• B. Lot numbers and subdivision plats.
• C. Townships and ranges.
• D. Annual crops planted.

Answer: (C)

The government survey system describes land using a grid of townships and ranges. This system, built around baselines and principal meridians, divides land into 6-mile-square townships. Each township is further subdivided into 36 sections, with each section being 1 mile on each side (640 acres). This grid-based approach lets you locate parcels precisely by township and range numbers.

Other methods described aren’t grid-based: distances and directions from a starting point reflect metes-and-bounds descriptions, lot numbers and subdivision plats refer to the lot-and-block system, and annual crops planted are unrelated to how land is described. That makes townships and ranges the correct units.