This is an interactive test. Read each question and select the proper answer by clicking on the appropriate answer. If a "Y" appears, your choice is correct. If a "N" appears, more study may be in order.
52: The reference datum used in determining the heights of land features on most charts is __________.
N a. mean sea level Y b. mean high water N c. mean low water N d. half-tide level 97: The lunar or tidal day is __________.
N a. about 50 minutes shorter than the solar day Y b. about 50 minutes longer than the solar day N c. about 10 minutes longer than the solar day N d. the same length as the solar day 198: You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133°T, and bears 343°T at 92 miles from you. What is the time to intercept if you make 9 knots?
N a. 7h 44m N b. 7h 12m Y c. 6h 43m N d. 6h 08m 218: Lines of position may be __________.
N a. hyperbolas N b. straight lines N c. arcs Y d. All of the above 219: The predicted time that the flood begins at the entrance to Delaware Bay is 1526. You are anchored off Chestnut St. in Philadelphia. If you get underway bound for sea at 1300 and turn for 13 knots, at what point will you lose the flood current?
N a. Mile 52 N b. New Castle N c. Marcus Hook Y d. Billingsport 236: The winds with the greatest effect on the set, drift, and depth of the equatorial currents are the __________.
N a. doldrums N b. horse latitudes Y c. trade winds N d. prevailing westerlies 276: The region of high pressure extending around the Earth at about 35°N latitude is called the __________.
N a. prevailing westerlies Y b. horse latitudes N c. troposphere N d. doldrums 304: In order to remove index error from a sextant, you should adjust the __________.
N a. index mirror to make it parallel to the horizon glass with the index set at zero Y b. horizon glass to make it parallel to the index mirror with the index set at zero N c. horizon glass to make it parallel to the sextant frame N d. telescope to make it perpendicular to the sextant frame 336: You are steaming eastward in the North Atlantic in an extratropical cyclonic storm and the wind is dead ahead. According to the law of Buys Ballot, the center of the low pressure lies __________.
N a. ahead of you N b. astern of you N c. to the north Y d. to the south 442: In very high latitudes, the most practical chart projection is the __________.
N a. Mercator N b. gnomonic N c. azimuthal Y d. Lambert conformal 471: Yellow lights may appear on __________.
Y a. special purpose buoys N b. vertically-striped buoys N c. horizontally-banded buoys N d. spherical buoys 485: A phase correction is applied to observations of __________.
N a. the Sun N b. stars Y c. planets N d. All of the above 522: All straight lines represent great circle tracks on a chart based on a(n) __________.
N a. Mercator projection N b. polyconic projection N c. orthographic projection Y d. gnomonic projection 560: On 14 April 1981, a back sight is observed of the lower limb of the Sun. The height of eye is 45 feet. The index error is 2.5' on the arc. The sextant altitude (hs) is 117°14.6'. What is the observed altitude (Ho)?
N a. 63°01.9' N b. 63°03.4' N c. 63°07.4' Y d. 63°09.9' 579: Low pressure disturbances, which travel along the intertropical convergence zone, are called __________.
N a. permanent waves N b. tidal waves Y c. tropical waves N d. tropical storms 584: The correction(s) which must be applied to an aneroid barometer reading include(s) __________.
Y a. height error N b. gravity error N c. temperature error N d. All of the above 595: In the navigational triangle, the angle at the elevated pole is the __________.
Y a. meridian angle N b. altitude N c. right ascension N d. azimuth angle 605: Which is NOT a side of the celestial navigational triangle?
N a. Co-latitude N b. Zenith distance Y c. Altitude N d. Co-declination 617: You are bound for the Chelsea docks in the Hudson River. The Captain wants to arrive at the docks at the first slack water on 28 July 1983. You are keeping daylight saving time. What time should you be at the docks?
Y a. 0215 N b. 0530 N c. 0811 N d. 0911 619: According to Buys Ballot's Law, when an observer in the Southern Hemisphere experiences a northwest wind, the center of the low pressure is located to the __________.
N a. east-northeast Y b. south-southwest N c. east-southeast N d. west-southwest 645: The arc of an hour circle between the celestial equator and a point on the celestial sphere, measured northward or southward through 90°, is the __________.
N a. altitude Y b. declination N c. latitude N d. azimuth angle 687: The drift and set of tidal, river, and ocean currents refer to the __________.
N a. position and area of the current Y b. speed and direction toward which the current flows N c. type and characteristic of the current's flow N d. None of the above 827: The Benguela Current flows in a __________.
N a. SW'ly direction along the NW coast of Africa N b. S'ly direction off the East Coast of Australia Y c. NW'ly direction along the SW coast of Africa N d. SW'ly direction along the SE coast of Greenland 835: When taking stars, those bodies to the east and west will __________.
Y a. change altitude rapidly N b. change altitude slowly N c. remain in an almost fixed position N d. appear to be moving in the plane of the horizon 984: The bases of middle clouds are located at altitudes of between __________.
N a. 3,000 to 6,500 feet (914 to 1981 meters) Y b. 6,500 to 20,000 feet (1981 to 6096 meters) N c. 10,000 to 35,000 feet (3048 to 10,668 meters) N d. 20,000 to 60,000 feet (6096 to 18,288 meters) 1009: You are preparing a weather report form, WS Form B-80. The dry bulb thermometer reads 34°F, and the wet bulb thermometer reads 31°F. Using the ships code card, how would you encode the air temperature groups in the report? (D041NG )
N a. 10340, 2127/ N b. 10111, 2104/ Y c. 10011, 2104/ N d. 10340, 2031/ 1095: The celestial coordinate of a star that is relatively constant in value is the __________.
N a. Greenwich hour angle N b. local hour angle Y c. sidereal hour angle N d. meridian angle 1134: The Earth's irregular heating is caused by __________.
N a. the time of day N b. the seasons N c. geography Y d. All of the above 1172: Which position shown would likely have stratus or stratocumulus clouds, occasional light drizzle, steady southerlies around 10 knots, and steady temperatures? (D049NG )
N a. B N b. C N c. D Y d. E 1206: Brief, violent showers frequently accompanied by thunder and lightning are usually associated with __________.
N a. passage of a warm front Y b. passage of a cold front N c. winds shifting counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere N d. stationary high pressure systems 1236: After the passage of a cold front the visibility_______. _
N a. does not change Y b. improves rapidly N c. improves only slightly N d. becomes poor 1315: What is a lighted safe water mark fitted with to aid in its identification?
N a. Red and white retroreflective material N b. A sequential number Y c. A spherical topmark N d. A red and white octagon 1339: You are on course 303°T. To check the speed of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?
N a. 000° N b. 090° Y c. 123° N d. 213° 1440: A mercurial barometer at sea is subject to rapid variations in height ("pumping") due to the pitch and roll of the vessel. To avoid this error, measurements of atmospheric pressure at sea are usually measured with a(n) __________.
N a. syphon barometer N b. cistern barometer Y c. aneroid barometer N d. fortin barometer 1484: You should plot your dead reckoning position at __________.
N a. every fix or running fix N b. every course change N c. every speed change Y d. All of the above are correct. 1564: What is a characteristic of cardinal marks?
Y a. Light rhythms indicating directional orientation N b. Vertical stripes N c. Square or triangular topmarks N d. Number-letter combinations for identification 1583: The angle measured from the observer's meridian, clockwise or counterclockwise up to 180°, to the vertical circle of the body is the __________.
N a. local hour angle Y b. azimuth angle N c. meridian angle N d. observer's longitude 1592: A white buoy marked with an orange rectangle indicates __________.
N a. an anchorage N b. a fish net area N c. mid-channel Y d. general information 1608: When using a buoy as an aid to navigation which of the following should be considered?
N a. If the light is flashing the buoy should be considered to be in the charted location. Y b. The buoy may not be in the charted position. N c. The buoy should be considered to be in the charted position if it has been freshly painted. N d. The buoy should be considered to always be in the charted position. 1629: Air temperature varies with __________.
N a. the altitude above sea level N b. the season of the year N c. the latitude or distance from the equator Y d. All of the above 1651: From which type of cloud can a tornado or waterspout develop?
N a. Nimbostratus N b. Altostratus Y c. Cumulonimbus N d. Cirrus 1703: In the Northern Hemisphere, when the wind at your location is northerly, the low pressure center causing the wind is located to your __________.
N a. NNW N b. WSW Y c. ESE N d. SSW 1725: Your present weather is sunny with a steady barometer. A low swell approaches your vessel from the south with crests passing at relatively long periods of about four per minute. This usually indicates __________.
N a. a warm front from the south Y b. a tropical cyclone south of your vessel N c. a hurricane about 100 miles south of your vessel and heading in your direction N d. an extra-tropical cyclone 1737: You can determine if your vessel's position is in the dangerous or navigable semicircle of a hurricane by __________.
N a. observing whether the wind is veering or backing N b. plotting two or more recent storm positions from weather bulletins Y c. Both A and B N d. Neither A nor B 1762: In high latitudes, celestial observations can be made over a horizon covered with pack ice by bringing the sun tangent to the ice and __________.
N a. adding 30° of arc to the sight Y b. using a dip correction based on the height of eye above the ice N c. doubling the semidiameter correction N d. using a dip correction from table 22 in Bowditch Vol. II 1763: Weather patterns in the Gulf Coast area of the United States are __________.
Y a. those of a transition zone between tropical and a temperate area N b. those of a tropical region N c. extremely hot in summer N d. tropical over Florida and subtropical over the rest of the Gulf Coast area 1793: Which weather element cannot be measured accurately while on board a moving vessel?
N a. relative humidity N b. temperature Y c. true wind speed N d. atmospheric pressure 1801: A phenomenon where the atmospheric pressure is higher than that of other surrounding regions is called __________.
N a. the "trade winds" Y b. an anticyclone N c. a low front or an occluded front N d. the "doldrums" 1904: In the horizon system of coordinates what is equivalent to the parallels of declination of the celestial equator system?
N a. Vertical circles Y b. Parallels of altitude N c. Zenith distance N d. Azimuth angle 2074: When approaching a lock and at a distance of not more than a mile, vessels desiring a single lockage shall sound which signal?
Y a. One long blast followed by one short blast N b. One short blast followed by one long blast N c. Two short blasts N d. Two long blasts 2335: The Light List indicates that a light has a nominal range of 13 miles and is 36 feet high. If the visibility is 17 miles and your height of eye is 25 feet, at what approximate distance will you sight the light?
N a. 10.0 miles Y b. 12.9 miles N c. 14.2 miles N d. 17.0 miles 2342: What happens because of augmentation?
Y a. The Moon appears larger as the elevation increases. N b. The Sun appears larger when viewed against the darker background of the horizon. N c. The horizon appears elevated when observing a bright Sun or Moon at low altitudes. N d. The Moon appears larger at the full Moon. 2478: On 23 August 1981 you observe a back sight of the lower limb of the Sun. The sextant altitude (hs) is 116°42.8'. The height of eye is 56 feet and the index error is 2.0' on the arc. What is the observed altitude (Ho)?
Y a. 63°42.0' N b. 63°38.0' N c. 63°19.4' N d. 62°49.6' 2712: A bold reef is a reef __________.
N a. with part of it extending above the water Y b. that can be detected by water turbulence N c. that drops off sharply N d. perpendicular to the current 2772: The direction in which a vessel should be steered between two points is the __________.
Y a. course N b. heading N c. bearing N d. course over the ground 2914: A daymark with red and green bands, with red uppermost, will have the shape indicated by which letter in illustration D045NG?
N a. A N b. B N c. C Y d. D 3070: The database information that should be shown when a chart is first displayed on ECDIS is the __________.
N a. display base information Y b. standard display information N c. system electronic nautical chart N d. chart display information 3104: In general, on how many radio channels will an automatic identification system (AIS) operate?
Y a. 3 N b. 5 N c. 7 N d. 9 3120: The short text messaging feature of the automatic identification system (AIS) allows for messages of up to___.
N a. 56 characters N b. 64 characters N c. 128 characters Y d. 158 characters 3123: Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding automatic identification systems (AIS)?
N a. AIS is a global tracking system that relies upon INMARSAT C service to communicate vessel position and other safety related information to similarly equipped vessels, aircraft and shore stations within the area. N b. AIS is a short-range 3 cm X-band radar system that automatically sends a vessel's position and other safety related information to similarly equipped vessels, aircraft and shore stations within the area. Y c. AIS is a short-range VHF-FM system that automatically broadcasts a vessel's position and other safety related information frequently to similarly equipped vessels, aircraft and shore stations within the area. N d. AIS is a one-way centrally managed system that requires the local VTS to send commands to instruct each vessel to broadcast position and other safety related information to similarly equipped vessels, aircraft and shore stations within the area.