USCG General Navigation: Master's License

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.


6: Wind velocity varies __________.


23: If Loran-C signals become unsynchronized, the receiver operator is warned because __________.


125: The GMT is 0445 and your zone description is +1. Your zone time is __________.


130: The distance between the surface of the water and the tidal datum is the __________.

    N a. range of tide
    Y b. height of tide
    N c. charted depth
    N d. actual water depth

162: A chart with a scale of 1:80,000 would fall into the category of a __________.

    N a. sailing chart
    N b. general chart
    Y c. coastal chart
    N d. harbor chart

199: Civil twilight occurs at 0558 zone time on 30 December 1981. Your DR position at that time is LAT 15°02'N, LONG 46°02'W. Which statement concerning the planets available for morning sights is TRUE?

    Y a. At 0558, Mars can be used for an ex-meridian observation.
    N b. Venus, Jupiter, and Mars sights will yield a good three line fix.
    N c. Saturn will be near the prime vertical.
    N d. Venus will be visible low in the western sky.

351: Which buoy may be odd numbered?

    N a. A spherical buoy
    Y b. An unlighted can buoy
    N c. A red buoy
    N d. A yellow buoy

382: Which would you consult for information about the general current circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean?

    Y a. Pilot chart
    N b. Coast Pilot
    N c. Current Table
    N d. Climatological Atlas

409: On November 1st the zone time is 1700 EST (ZD +5) in LONG 75°W. What is the corresponding zone time and date in LONG 135°E?

    Y a. 0700, November 2nd
    N b. 0700, November 1st
    N c. 2200, November 1st
    N d. 2200, October 31st

475: A correction for augmentation is included in the Nautical Almanac corrections for __________.

    N a. the Sun
    Y b. the Moon
    N c. Venus
    N d. None of the above

533: You are using a radar in which your own ship is shown at the center, and the heading flash always points to 0°. If bearings are measured in relation to the flash, what type of bearings are produced?

    Y a. Relative
    N b. True
    N c. Compass
    N d. Magnetic

553: The beam width of your radar is 2°. The left tangent bearing of a small island, as observed on the PPI scope, is 056°pgc. If the gyro error is 2°E, what bearing would you plot on the chart?

    N a. 052°
    N b. 056°
    Y c. 059°
    N d. 060°

746: Lines drawn through points on the Earth having the same atmospheric pressure are known as __________.

    N a. isothermal
    N b. millibars
    Y c. isobars
    N d. seismics

770: You are plotting a running fix in an area where there is a determinable current. How should this current be treated in determining the position?

    Y a. The course and speed made good should be determined and used to advance the LOP.
    N b. The drift should be added to the ship's speed.
    N c. The current should be ignored.
    N d. The set should be applied to the second bearing.

796: Cyclones tend to move __________.

    N a. perpendicular to the isobars in their warm sectors
    Y b. parallel to the isobars in their warm sectors
    N c. parallel to the line of the cold front
    N d. perpendicular to the line of the cold front

895: The ecliptic is __________.

    Y a. the path the Sun appears to take among the stars
    N b. the path the Earth appears to take among the stars
    N c. a diagram of the zodiac
    N d. a great circle on a gnomonic chart

930: Which statement about radio navigational warnings is TRUE?

    Y a. The topics for warnings included in HYDROLANTS, HYDROPACS, and NAVAREA warnings are the same.
    N b. NAVAREA warnings concern only coastal navigation and inland navigation in large bays or sounds such as Puget Sound.
    N c. The United States is responsible for NAVAREA warnings in the North Atlantic north of 7°N, and west of 15°W.
    N d. Long range radio navigational warnings are usually broadcast by radiotelephone, radiotelegraph, and radio-teletypewriter.

1015: Which statement about the time diagram shown is correct? (D005NG )

    N a. The Greenwich hour angle of the Sun is greater than 180°.
    N b. The meridian angle of the Sun is labeled west.
    N c. The date of Greenwich is the day after the date for observer at M.
    Y d. The Sun has already passed the lower branch of the observer's meridian.

1028: At what angle to the isobars do surface winds blow over the open sea?

    N a. About 90°
    N b. About 50°
    N c. About 25°
    Y d. About 15°

1047: Which is NOT a contributing cause of ocean currents?

    N a. Surface winds
    N b. Density differences in the water
    N c. Underwater topography
    Y d. Gravitational effects of celestial bodies

1051: Under the IALA Buoyage Systems, a cardinal mark may NOT be used to __________.

    N a. indicate that the deepest water in an area is on the named side of the mark
    N b. indicate the safe side on which to pass a danger
    N c. draw attention to a feature in the channel such as a bend, junction, bifurcation, or end of a shoal
    Y d. indicate the port and starboard sides of well-defined channels

1150: You are on course 312°T. To check the speed of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

    Y a. 312°
    N b. 000°
    N c. 090°
    N d. 222°

1156: When cold air displaces warm air you have a(n) __________.

    Y a. cold front
    N b. occluded front
    N c. stationary front
    N d. warm front

1191: You plot a fix using three lines of position and find they intersect in a triangle. The actual position of the vessel __________.

    N a. is outside of the triangle
    N b. may be anywhere in the triangle
    Y c. may be inside or outside of the triangle
    N d. is the geometric center of the triangle

1252: Port side daymarks may be __________.

    Y a. numbered
    N b. octagonal
    N c. black and white
    N d. of any shape

1267: What will be the velocity of the tidal current at Coxsackie, NY, at 0945 EST (ZD +5) on 11 March 1983?

    N a. 0.3 knot
    Y b. 0.7 knot
    N c. 1.2 knots
    N d. 1.9 knots

1344: Which of the buoy symbols shown indicates a safe water mark? (D032NG )

    Y a. D
    N b. C
    N c. B
    N d. A

1413: The gyrocompass error resulting from your vessel's movement in OTHER than an east-west direction is called __________.

    N a. damping error
    N b. ballistic deflection
    N c. quadrantal error
    Y d. speed error

1445: The planet Mars will have its greatest magnitude when at __________.

    N a. conjunction
    Y b. opposition
    N c. east quadrature
    N d. west quadrature

1447: What will be the velocity of the tidal current 6 miles south of Shoal Point, NY, at 1850 DST (ZD +4) on 9 July 1983?

    N a. 0.2 knot ebb
    Y b. 0.2 knot flood
    N c. 1.2 knot ebb
    N d. 1.4 knot flood

1459: In a tropical cyclone, in the Northern Hemisphere, a vessel hove to with the wind shifting counterclockwise is __________.

    N a. ahead of the storm center
    N b. in the dangerous semicircle
    Y c. in the navigable semicircle
    N d. directly in the approach path of the storm

1466: Advection fog is most commonly caused by __________.

    N a. air being warmed above the dew point
    N b. saturation of cold air by rain
    N c. a rapid cooling of the air near the surface of the Earth at night
    Y d. warm moist air being blown over a colder surface

1581: Shown are the symbols used on radio facsimile weather charts. The symbol indicated at letter "I" represents __________. (D042NG )

    N a. rain showers
    Y b. thunderstorms
    N c. snow storms
    N d. sand storms

1751: A tsunami is caused by a(n) __________.

    N a. tidal wave
    N b. storm surge caused by a hurricane or tropical storm
    Y c. earthquake on the ocean's floor
    N d. tornado

1761: Chart legends which indicate a conspicuous landmark are printed in __________.

    N a. italics
    N b. underlined letters
    Y c. capital letters
    N d. boldfaced print

1809: What occurs when rising air cools to the dew point?

    N a. Advection fog forms
    N b. Humidity decreases
    N c. Winds increase
    Y d. Clouds form

1827: The position labeled "D" was plotted because __________. (D051NG )

    N a. a dead reckoning position is plotted within 30 minutes of a running fix
    Y b. a dead reckoning position is plotted for each course change
    N c. the vessel's speed changed at 1125
    N d. All of the above

1859: While proceeding downriver (descending) you sight a red diamond-shaped panel with small, red reflector squares in each corner on the left bank. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers this is a __________.

    N a. special purpose signal
    N b. passing daymark
    Y c. crossing daymark
    N d. cable crossing

1920: Because the actual center of some planets may differ from the observed center, the navigator applies a correction known as the __________.

    Y a. phase correction
    N b. refraction correction
    N c. semidiameter correction
    N d. augmentation correction

2097: Information about major breakdowns, repairs, or other emergency operations with regard to weirs and (or) wicket dams, on the western rivers, may be obtained by consulting the __________.

    N a. Sailing Directions
    Y b. Broadcast Notice to Mariners
    N c. Light List Vol. V
    N d. None of the above

2126: Your chart indicates that there is an isolated rock and names the rock using vertical letters. This indicates the __________.

    N a. rock is visible at low water springs only
    N b. rock is a hazard to deep draft vessels only
    Y c. rock is dry at high water
    N d. exact position of the rock is doubtful

2130: You are underway and pass by a lighthouse. Its light, which was white since you first sighted it, changes to red. This means __________.

    N a. the light is characterized as alternately flashing
    N b. the lighthouse has lost power and has switched to emergency lighting
    N c. it is the identifying light characteristic of the lighthouse
    Y d. you have entered an area of shoal water or other hazard

2190: Clouds are classified according to their __________.

    N a. size
    N b. moisture content
    Y c. altitude and how they were formed
    N d. location in a front

2322: You have completed the magnetic compass adjustments on magnetic east and magnetic south. The vessel is now steady on magnetic north but the compass reads 356°. Which action should be taken?

    N a. Use the fore-and-aft magnets and adjust the compass until it reads 358°.
    Y b. Use the athwartships magnets and adjust the compass until it reads 358°.
    N c. Use the fore-and-aft magnets and adjust the compass until it reads 000°.
    N d. Use the quadrantal spheres and adjust the compass until it reads 000°.

2328: Universal time (UTI) is another name for __________.

    N a. sidereal time
    Y b. Greenwich mean time
    N c. ephemeris time
    N d. atomic time

2376: A large group of stars revolving around a center is known as a __________.

    N a. cluster
    N b. shower
    N c. constellation
    Y d. galaxy

2382: What causes geocentric parallax?

    N a. The varying distance between the Earth and Moon.
    Y b. The change in the Moon's position relative to the stars when viewed from the Earth's surface, as compared to the Earth's center.
    N c. The rapid change in declination of the Moon causes a rotational oscillation of its axis.
    N d. The nearness of the Moon causes an apparent increase in diameter as its altitude increases.

2423: IN REGION A of the IALA Buoyage System, when entering from seaward, the starboard side of a channel would be marked by a __________.

    N a. red conical buoy
    Y b. green conical buoy
    N c. red can buoy
    N d. green can buoy

2468: Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers, the buoys marking the starboard side of the channel when going upstream will be __________.

    N a. black
    Y b. red
    N c. green
    N d. yellow

2476: At meridian transit, the diagram used by a navigator to illustrate the angles involved is based on the __________.

    N a. celestial equator as observed from above the south celestial pole
    N b. celestial equator as observed from above the north celestial pole
    Y c. plane of the observer's meridian
    N d. plane of the Greenwich meridian

2498: The light characteristic of flashing is used in the Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers for lights on __________.

    Y a. the right descending bank
    N b. the left descending bank
    N c. preferred channel buoys
    N d. daymarks with no lateral significance

2514: Sidereal time is NOT used __________.

    N a. as the basis for star charts
    N b. to enter a star finder
    N c. in sight reduction using Pub 249
    Y d. in sight reductions of planet observations

2616: What is the equivalent of 4 min. 04 sec. in arc units?

    N a. 60°16'
    N b. 8°08'
    N c. 2°08'
    Y d. 1°01'

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

2814: In low latitudes the range of the diurnal variation of pressure is up to __________.

    N a. 0.5 millibar
    Y b. 3.0 millibars
    N c. 6.0 millibars
    N d. 10.0 millibars

2910: You are taking bearings on two known objects ashore. The BEST fix is obtained when the angle between the lines of position is __________.

    N a. 60°
    N b. 45°
    Y c. 90°
    N d. 30°

3060: What information is NOT found in the chart title?

    N a. Survey information
    N b. Scale
    Y c. Date of first edition
    N d. Projection

3076: An ECDIS is required to display which information?

    N a. Radar targets
    N b. ARPA vectors
    Y c. Hydrographic data
    N d. All of the above

3094: ECDIS must have the capability to preserve the record of the track for the previous __________.

    Y a. 12 hours
    N b. 24 hours
    N c. 48 hours
    N d. 72 hours

3095: ECDIS must have the capability to preserve the record of the track for the previous __________.

    N a. 6 hours
    Y b. 12 hours
    N c. 18 hours
    N d. 24 hours