A benchmark used in surveying is:
Correct Answer
B) A monumented point of known elevation
A survey benchmark is a reference mark with a known elevation or height relative to an identified datum. Verify its stability and datum. A point of beginning identifies a boundary-course origin; market unit prices and depth tables are different concepts.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Option B is correct because a survey benchmark is a monumented reference point with a known elevation relative to an identified datum. Surveyors use it to establish heights of other points. Its stability and the datum used should be verified.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: The starting corner of a metes and bounds description
Option A, the starting corner of a metes and bounds description, is the point of beginning. It identifies where boundary courses start, not a known elevation.
Option C: The average price per acre in a market area
Option C, the average price per acre in a market area, is a market unit price. It has nothing to do with survey elevation.
Option D: A standard depth used for commercial lot pricing
Option D, a standard depth used for commercial lot pricing, describes a depth-table concept used in land valuation, not a survey reference point.
Benchmark marks the height
A bench mark is a mark for height, like a bench at a known level. The point of beginning marks where the boundary starts.
How to use: Use this to separate elevation references from boundary starting points.
Exam Tip
Watch for options that borrow the everyday meaning of benchmark as a standard or average. In surveying it refers to a known elevation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- -Confusing a benchmark with the point of beginning
- -Using the everyday meaning of benchmark as a price standard
Concept Deep Dive
Analysis
This question tests surveying vocabulary. A benchmark is about vertical position: a marked point with a known elevation relative to a datum. Distinguishing it from a point of beginning, which is about horizontal boundary description, is the key step.
Background Knowledge
Vertical measurements refer to a known point of vertical height called a datum. Benchmarks are physical marks tied to a datum so that elevations can be carried to other locations. Elevations matter to appraisers in flood analysis, drainage and site utility.
Real-World Application
An appraiser reviews an elevation certificate for a home near a river. The surveyor tied the floor elevation to a nearby benchmark, and the appraiser uses that information when describing the property's flood exposure.
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