The question asks how long is the south boundary. You MUST draw this out on paper. Start with a square on a piece paper and draw a plus sign in the center out to the edges. Number them starting in the upper left hand square, NW, NE, lower row, SW and SE. This is a section and each square is a quarter section.
South boundary
1. Start at the end of the legal description. The put another plus sign in the SE ¼ and locate the SW ¼ and lets call that part 2.
2. Now locate the SW ¼ and put a plus sign in that, then locate the SE ¼ and then the E ½ and draw a line like in the figure, call that part 1.
3. The section is 1 mile by 1 mile. So part 2 is a quarter mile, half of half is a quarter. Part 1 is half of a ¼ so that is an 1/8 mile. I mile is 5,280 feet. So a quarter mile is 1320 feet, (5280 X .25) and half of 1320 is 660, totaled together is 1980.