What term describes the system of lines used to determine coordinates on Earth’s surface?

• A. Grid System
• B. Compass Rose
• C. Cartographer
• D. Scale bar

Answer: (A)

A grid system is the network of lines that lets you pin down a location on Earth by coordinates. These lines—latitude (parallels) and longitude (meridians)—create a global grid so you can describe any point with a pair of numbers, like how far north or south and east or west you are. The compass rose shows direction, not coordinates; a cartographer is a mapmaker, and a scale bar measures distance. Because coordinates rely on that systematic network of lines, the term that best describes it is the grid system.