AP Human Geography Flashcards: Settlement Patterns and Survey Methods
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is a linear rural settlement pattern?
A linear rural settlement pattern is one in which buildings are arranged in a line, often following a transportation route like a river or road.
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What is a linear rural settlement pattern?
A linear rural settlement pattern is one in which buildings are arranged in a line, often following a transportation route like a river or road.
Define the 'township and range' survey method.
This survey method divides land into a grid system based on lines of latitude and longitude, creating uniform, geometric land parcels.
Define the 'long lot' survey method.
This survey method divides land into narrow parcels that stretch back from a river, road, or canal, providing many landowners with access to the transportation route.
In the American Midwest, where individual farmhouses are located in the middle of their own fields and are far from their neighbors, what type of settlement pattern is evident?
This is an example of a dispersed rural settlement pattern.
What are the two main topics that can be identified by studying rural settlement patterns and survey methods?
One can identify different rural settlement patterns (clustered, dispersed, linear) and the methods of surveying that created them (metes and bounds, township and range, long lot).
What is the primary factor that shapes different rural land-use patterns?
Specific agricultural practices are the primary factor that shapes different rural land-use patterns.
What are the three main classifications of rural settlement patterns?
Rural settlement patterns are classified as clustered, dispersed, or linear.
A rural village where homes and farm buildings are situated closely together around a church and a market is an example of what settlement pattern?
This is an example of a clustered rural settlement pattern.
Define the 'metes and bounds' survey method.
This survey method uses natural features like trees and streams, along with specific distances and directions, to establish property boundaries.
What are the three primary methods for surveying rural land?
The three primary rural survey methods are metes and bounds, township and range, and long lot.