Legal Descriptions Practice Questions
Legal descriptions is about 5 questions on the Florida sales associate exam. It covers the three description methods, the government survey system numbers, fractional acreage math, and what makes a metes and bounds description valid. Work the questions below, then read every explanation.
Exam prep only
Legal description questions split into two skills: identify the description method, and do the survey-system math. The math relies on a few fixed numbers you simply have to know.
Use The Fixed-Number Anchor. Memorize 640 acres per section, 36 sections per township, and 43,560 square feet per acre. With those locked in, the fractional math is just multiplication.
Quiz mode · Test yourself
Legal Descriptions Practice Questions
5 scenario-based questions on legal descriptions, scored, each with a full explanation after you answer. Every question is also written out below if you would rather study at your own pace.
Every question explained
Prefer to study at your own pace? Here are all 5 questions. Read each one and pick your answer, then reveal the correct answer, the reasoning, and the trap that catches most candidates.
1. In the government rectangular survey system, how many acres are in one full section?
- A.160 acres
- B.320 acres
- C.640 acres
- D.5,280 acres
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. 640 acres
Why C is correct: A section is one mile square and contains 640 acres. A township is six miles square and contains 36 sections.
Trap: 640 is the acres in a section. 36 is the number of sections in a township. Do not swap them.
Source: Government survey system
2. How many acres are in the SE 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of a section?
- A.10 acres
- B.40 acres
- C.80 acres
- D.160 acres
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. 40 acres
Why B is correct: Multiply the fractions and apply them to 640 acres: one quarter times one quarter times 640 equals 40 acres. Working it stepwise, the NW quarter is 160 acres, and the SE quarter of that is 40 acres.
Trap: Apply every fraction in the description. Using only the last quarter gives 160 acres, which forgets the first quarter.
Source: Government survey system, fractional acreage
3. A township in the government survey system is
- A.one mile square and contains 640 acres
- B.six miles square and contains 36 sections
- C.ten miles square and contains 100 sections
- D.a single recorded subdivision lot
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. six miles square and contains 36 sections
Why B is correct: A township is six miles by six miles, so it is 36 square miles, and it contains 36 sections. Each section is one mile square and holds 640 acres.
Trap: A section is one mile square. A township is six miles square and holds 36 of those sections.
Source: Government survey system
4. A property is described by starting at a fixed point, then following a series of directions and distances around the perimeter. For this description to be valid, it must
- A.reference a recorded plat and lot number
- B.return to the same point of beginning so the boundary closes
- C.use only compass directions, never distances
- D.be at least one acre in size
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. return to the same point of beginning so the boundary closes
Why B is correct: This is a metes and bounds description. It must begin and end at the same point of beginning so that the boundary closes around the parcel. If it does not return to the point of beginning, the description is defective.
Trap: A metes and bounds description that does not close at the point of beginning is invalid. It does not need a recorded plat; that is the lot and block method.
Source: Legal descriptions, metes and bounds
5. A description that identifies a parcel as Lot 7, Block C of a named, recorded subdivision plat uses which method?
- A.Metes and bounds
- B.Government rectangular survey
- C.Lot and block (recorded plat)
- D.Monument and benchmark
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Lot and block (recorded plat)
Why C is correct: The lot and block method, also called the recorded plat method, identifies a parcel by its lot and block numbers on a subdivision plat that is recorded in the public records. It is the most common method for describing platted subdivision lots.
Trap: Lot and block depends on a recorded plat. Metes and bounds traces the perimeter, and the survey system uses sections and townships.
Source: Legal descriptions, lot and block
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Get the full question bankFrequently asked questions
How many acres are in a section and a township?
A section is one mile square and contains 640 acres. A township is six miles square and contains 36 sections. One acre contains 43,560 square feet. These three numbers anchor most legal description math on the exam.
What are the three methods of legal description?
The three methods are metes and bounds, which traces the perimeter from a point of beginning; the government rectangular survey system, which uses townships, sections, and fractions; and lot and block, which references a lot and block on a recorded subdivision plat.
How many legal description questions are on the Florida exam?
Legal descriptions is about 5 percent of the 100-question Florida sales associate exam, so expect roughly 5 questions on the description methods and the survey-system acreage math.