IAAO COURSE 600: MAPPING (GIS, PARCEL MAPPING,
CADASTRAL SYSTEMS & SPATIAL ANALYSIS) EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS
1. What is the primary purpose of a cadastral system?
A. To manage zoning ordinances
B. To record and map land ownership and property boundaries
✔ C. To document legal interests in land
D. To calculate property tax rates
Explanation: Cadastral systems are designed to record and map legal rights,
ownership, and boundaries of land parcels, supporting taxation, land registration,
and tenure security.
2. In GIS, what does “topology” primarily ensure?
A. Faster map rendering
✔ B. Spatial relationships and data integrity
C. Higher resolution satellite imagery
D. Attribute table normalization
Explanation: Topology enforces rules (e.g., no overlaps, no gaps) between
adjacent polygon features, ensuring correct spatial relationships in parcel
mapping.
3. Which map projection would introduce the least distortion for a parcel map
covering a single county in the midwestern U.S.?
A. Robinson projection
✔ B. State Plane Coordinate System (transverse Mercator or Lambert conformal
,conic)
C. Mercator projection
D. WGS84 (unprojected)
Explanation: State Plane projections are designed for specific zones to minimize
distortion for local mapping, ideal for cadastral accuracy.
4. A parcel’s legal description states “T2N, R3W, Sec 14, NE¼.” This is an example
of:
A. Metes and bounds
✔ B. Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
C. Lot and block
D. Coordinates only
Explanation: The PLSS uses township, range, section, and aliquot parts (NE¼) to
describe land, common in many U.S. states.
5. Which GIS operation would you use to find all parcels within 500 feet of a flood
zone?
A. Clip
B. Merge
✔ C. Buffer then intersect
D. Dissolve
Explanation: Buffer creates a 500-ft zone around the flood area; intersect overlays
parcels with that buffer to find affected parcels.
6. What is the main advantage of using a parcel fabric in ArcGIS or similar
software?
A. It stores only graphic shapes
✔ B. It maintains topological integrity and historical edits
,C. It automatically calculates property values
D. It eliminates the need for coordinate systems
Explanation: A parcel fabric manages shared boundaries, adjusts for errors, and
tracks parcel split/merge history, ensuring cadastral consistency.
7. Which spatial analysis technique would estimate property value trends across a
city based on sampled points?
A. Slope analysis
✔ B. Interpolation (e.g., kriging or IDW)
C. Viewshed analysis
D. Network analysis
Explanation: Interpolation predicts values at unmeasured locations from known
sample points (e.g., assessed values).
8. In PLSS, what is the approximate size of a standard section?
A. 160 acres
B. 320 acres
✔ C. 640 acres
D. 36 square miles
Explanation: A standard section is 1 mile × 1 mile = 640 acres. A township has 36
sections.
9. Which of the following best defines “cadastral mapping”?
A. Topographic mapping of elevation contours
✔ B. Mapping that shows land parcels, ownership, and rights
C. Hydrological mapping of rivers
D. Transportation network mapping
, Explanation: Cadastral mapping focuses on land tenure—parcel boundaries,
ownership, and legal interests—for taxation and land administration.
10. What is the role of a “parcel identifier” (PIN or APN)?
A. To store the parcel’s zoning history
B. To define the parcel’s geometry in GIS
✔ C. To uniquely link a parcel to its owner and tax record
D. To indicate the parcel’s elevation
Explanation: Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) or Property Identification Number
(PIN) is a unique key connecting spatial parcel features to tabular assessment
data.
11. If you digitize a new parcel boundary that overlaps an existing parcel, which
topological rule is violated?
A. No dangles
B. Multipart check
✔ C. No overlaps
D. Boundary must be covered by line
Explanation: In cadastral GIS, polygons must not overlap—overlaps indicate
conflicting claims or digitizing errors.
12. Which coordinate system is best for global parcel visualization but not for area
measurement?
A. UTM
B. State Plane
✔ C. Geographic (latitude/longitude on WGS84)
D. Albers equal-area
CADASTRAL SYSTEMS & SPATIAL ANALYSIS) EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH 100% VERIFIED ANSWERS
1. What is the primary purpose of a cadastral system?
A. To manage zoning ordinances
B. To record and map land ownership and property boundaries
✔ C. To document legal interests in land
D. To calculate property tax rates
Explanation: Cadastral systems are designed to record and map legal rights,
ownership, and boundaries of land parcels, supporting taxation, land registration,
and tenure security.
2. In GIS, what does “topology” primarily ensure?
A. Faster map rendering
✔ B. Spatial relationships and data integrity
C. Higher resolution satellite imagery
D. Attribute table normalization
Explanation: Topology enforces rules (e.g., no overlaps, no gaps) between
adjacent polygon features, ensuring correct spatial relationships in parcel
mapping.
3. Which map projection would introduce the least distortion for a parcel map
covering a single county in the midwestern U.S.?
A. Robinson projection
✔ B. State Plane Coordinate System (transverse Mercator or Lambert conformal
,conic)
C. Mercator projection
D. WGS84 (unprojected)
Explanation: State Plane projections are designed for specific zones to minimize
distortion for local mapping, ideal for cadastral accuracy.
4. A parcel’s legal description states “T2N, R3W, Sec 14, NE¼.” This is an example
of:
A. Metes and bounds
✔ B. Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
C. Lot and block
D. Coordinates only
Explanation: The PLSS uses township, range, section, and aliquot parts (NE¼) to
describe land, common in many U.S. states.
5. Which GIS operation would you use to find all parcels within 500 feet of a flood
zone?
A. Clip
B. Merge
✔ C. Buffer then intersect
D. Dissolve
Explanation: Buffer creates a 500-ft zone around the flood area; intersect overlays
parcels with that buffer to find affected parcels.
6. What is the main advantage of using a parcel fabric in ArcGIS or similar
software?
A. It stores only graphic shapes
✔ B. It maintains topological integrity and historical edits
,C. It automatically calculates property values
D. It eliminates the need for coordinate systems
Explanation: A parcel fabric manages shared boundaries, adjusts for errors, and
tracks parcel split/merge history, ensuring cadastral consistency.
7. Which spatial analysis technique would estimate property value trends across a
city based on sampled points?
A. Slope analysis
✔ B. Interpolation (e.g., kriging or IDW)
C. Viewshed analysis
D. Network analysis
Explanation: Interpolation predicts values at unmeasured locations from known
sample points (e.g., assessed values).
8. In PLSS, what is the approximate size of a standard section?
A. 160 acres
B. 320 acres
✔ C. 640 acres
D. 36 square miles
Explanation: A standard section is 1 mile × 1 mile = 640 acres. A township has 36
sections.
9. Which of the following best defines “cadastral mapping”?
A. Topographic mapping of elevation contours
✔ B. Mapping that shows land parcels, ownership, and rights
C. Hydrological mapping of rivers
D. Transportation network mapping
, Explanation: Cadastral mapping focuses on land tenure—parcel boundaries,
ownership, and legal interests—for taxation and land administration.
10. What is the role of a “parcel identifier” (PIN or APN)?
A. To store the parcel’s zoning history
B. To define the parcel’s geometry in GIS
✔ C. To uniquely link a parcel to its owner and tax record
D. To indicate the parcel’s elevation
Explanation: Assessor’s Parcel Number (APN) or Property Identification Number
(PIN) is a unique key connecting spatial parcel features to tabular assessment
data.
11. If you digitize a new parcel boundary that overlaps an existing parcel, which
topological rule is violated?
A. No dangles
B. Multipart check
✔ C. No overlaps
D. Boundary must be covered by line
Explanation: In cadastral GIS, polygons must not overlap—overlaps indicate
conflicting claims or digitizing errors.
12. Which coordinate system is best for global parcel visualization but not for area
measurement?
A. UTM
B. State Plane
✔ C. Geographic (latitude/longitude on WGS84)
D. Albers equal-area
