The system that establishes a grid of townships and ranges for land organization is known as what?

• A. Township and Range System
• B. Long-Lot Survey System
• C. Metes and Bounds
• D. Dispersed Settlement

Answer: (A)

This question tests knowledge of how land is divided using a regular grid. The system that creates a square grid of townships and ranges for land organization is the Township and Range System, which is part of the Public Land Survey System used in the United States. It lays out land in 6-mile-square townships, each subdivided into 36 one-square-mile sections, arranged in a grid defined by a baseline and a principal meridian. This method provides precise, uniform parcels over large, unsettled areas and makes describing location and ownership straightforward. It contrasts with metes and bounds, which describe boundaries using natural features and can be irregular; long-lot surveys divide land into narrow parcels along rivers; and dispersed settlement refers to how people live in widely spaced households rather than how land is surveyed.