Under the government survey system, land is described using which units?

• A. Distances and directions from a starting point.
• B. Lot numbers and subdivision plats.
• C. A grid-based system using townships and ranges.
• D. Emblements.

Answer: (C)

The government survey system describes land with a grid of townships and ranges. This framework, part of the Public Land Survey System, uses six-mile-square townships that are further divided into 36 one-square-mile sections (640 acres each). Lines run north-south (ranges) from a principal meridian and east-west (townships) from a baseline, creating a rectangular grid. A land description usually specifies the township and range numbers, often including the section and sometimes quarter-sections within that township. Other ways of describing land, like distances and directions from a starting point (metes and bounds), lot numbers and subdivision plats, or terms for crops (emblements), don’t use this township-and-range grid.