Texas Surveyors Practice Exam

Which agency supervises the U.S. survey system today?

1. The Bureau of Land Management

2. The General Land Office of the United States

3. The U.S. Geological Survey

4. The Department of the Interior

The correct answer is: The General Land Office of the United States

The correct choice is the General Land Office of the United States, historically playing a key role in overseeing land surveys and maintaining public lands. In the context of the U.S. survey system, this office has been responsible for managing the public domain and ensuring the proper surveying of land, particularly as it pertains to the disposal and management of federal lands. As a component of the United States' approach to land management, the General Land Office has a legacy of establishing land boundaries and ensuring accurate surveying methods. The Bureau of Land Management is also involved in land management but is focused more on the use of land resources rather than the supervision of the survey system itself. The U.S. Geological Survey primarily deals with scientific research and mapping, influencing geographic and natural resource understanding but not directly managing the survey system. The Department of the Interior is a broader governmental umbrella that includes various agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Geological Survey, but it does not specifically supervise land surveys.