A deed reads "thence N 62 degrees E, 340 feet to an iron pin." Within a metes and bounds description, the metes are the:
Correct Answer
B) Distances and compass bearings of each boundary course
Why this is correct: The original explanation defines 'metes' as the measurements of direction and length. In a metes and bounds description, the 'metes' are the specific distances and compass bearings (like 'N 62 degrees E, 340 feet') that trace each boundary course. The 'bounds' are the fixed reference points or monuments (like 'an iron pin'). Why the other choices are wrong: 'Names of the adjoining property owners' are not part of the metes; they are external references. 'Total acreage computed' is a result, not a measurement component. 'Recorded plat book and page' refers to a map-based (lot and block) description, not metes and bounds. Exam tip: Remember "metes" = measures (distance and bearing); "bounds" = boundaries (monuments, landmarks).
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Option B identifies the metes as the distances and compass bearings of each boundary course, which is exactly what the term means. The quoted excerpt supplies both parts of a mete, a bearing of north 62 degrees east and a distance of 340 feet, and the option matches them. It also correctly frames them as belonging to a single course, since a full description strings many such courses together until the perimeter closes. No other choice describes a measurement at all.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: Names of the adjoining property owners on each side
Names of adjoining owners are used as bounds, not metes, and they function as calls for adjoiners that identify where a line runs by reference to the neighboring parcel. They carry no measurement, which is the defining feature of a mete. The confusion is understandable because adjoiner calls do appear inside metes and bounds descriptions, just on the bounds side of the pair.
Option C: Total acreage computed after the survey closes
Total acreage is a computed result derived after the courses are platted and the figure closes, and it is usually stated at the end as 'containing more or less' language. Because it is an output rather than a boundary call, it does not describe the perimeter and cannot locate a line. Acreage recitals are also given the least weight when a description conflicts internally.
Option D: Recorded plat book and page where the map appears
A plat book and page reference is the hallmark of the lot and block system, which describes land by pointing to a recorded map instead of tracing courses in the deed. Its presence would mean the description is not metes and bounds at all. This distractor checks whether the candidate can keep the two description systems separate.
Metes Measure, Bounds Border
Both words tell you their job. Metes measure: bearing and distance, the numbers you would need to walk the line. Bounds border: the iron pin, the oak tree, the creek, the neighbor's parcel, the physical things the line runs to. Numbers are metes, things are bounds.
How to use: Split any quoted course into its numeric half and its physical half. The numeric half is the mete, the physical half is the bound. Then pick the option describing the half the question asked about, and discard options mentioning acreage, plat books, or anything computed after the survey.
Exam Tip
Remember that monuments outrank measurements when a description conflicts, because a called-for iron pin in the ground is stronger evidence of intent than a recited distance.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- -Swapping the definitions so that metes are called the monuments and bounds the measurements
- -Assuming a stated acreage controls over the courses and monuments when the description conflicts
- -Reading a bearing such as N 62 degrees E as 62 degrees from east rather than 62 degrees east of due north
Concept Deep Dive
Analysis
This question tests the internal vocabulary of a metes and bounds description, which is the only system that carries its geometry in the deed text. A metes and bounds description begins at a point of beginning, then walks the perimeter course by course and must return to that same point, a requirement called closure. Each course has two parts: the metes, meaning the measures, which are the compass bearing and the linear distance, and the bounds, meaning the boundaries, which are the monuments and adjoiners that terminate the course. In the quoted line, 'N 62 degrees E, 340 feet' is the mete, giving a bearing measured 62 degrees east of due north and a run of 340 feet, while 'an iron pin' is a bound, a physical monument marking where that course ends. Understanding which element is which matters in practice because when a described distance conflicts with a called-for monument, the monument generally controls, since it is the more certain evidence of where the parties intended the line to fall.
Background Knowledge
You need to know the structure of a metes and bounds description, including the point of beginning, the sequence of courses, and the closure requirement. You should also know how a bearing is read, as an angle turned east or west from due north or due south, and the general order of priority when calls conflict, with natural and artificial monuments outranking courses and distances, which in turn outrank stated area.
Real-World Application
Reviewing the deed for a rural five-acre subject, an appraiser plots the courses and finds the description does not close by eleven feet, then notes the discrepancy in the report, relies on the recorded survey and located monuments for the site dimensions, and recommends the client obtain a current boundary survey.
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