Final answer:
Shannon discovered land parcel descriptions for a 40-acre and an 80-acre tract within the Public Land Survey System, which are part of Section Eleven in Township Four North of Range Eight West.
Step-by-step explanation:
Shannon encountered a description of land parcels as it pertains to the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), which is a method used predominantly in the Midwestern and Western United States to divide and describe land. The description "Southwest quarter of Southwest quarter (SW ¼ of SW ¼)" refers to a 40-acre parcel, since each square mile section is subdivided into four quarter sections (160 acres each), and those quarters are divided again into quarter-quarters. Furthermore, the "West Half of Southeast quarter of Southwest quarter (W½ SE¼ SW¼)" references an 80-acre tract, half of the 160-acre quarter section. This parcel is part of Section Eleven (11), in Township Four (4) North of Range Eight (8) West. Townships are six miles square, consisting of 36 one-square-mile sections, as part of a greater grid system established for land division.