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.


123: If the radio signal ground wave extends out for less distance than the minimum skywave distance, there is an area in which no signal is received. This is called the __________.


204: Because of the reflecting properties of a sextant, if the sextant altitude reads 60° on the limb, the actual arc of the limb from 0° to the 60° reading is __________.


254: The range of tide is the __________.


255: On March 17, at 0500 zone time, you cross the 180th meridian steaming eastward to west longitude. What is your local time?

    N a. You are in -12 time zone.
    N b. It is 1700, March 18.
    Y c. It is 0500, March 16.
    N d. It is 0500, March 18.

275: Which statement concerning illustration is correct? (Soundings and heights are in meters) (D010NG )

    Y a. The sunken wreck southwest of Beito Island shows the hull or superstructure above the sounding datum.
    N b. There is a 12-meter deep hole inside the 5-meter curve just west of Beito Island.
    N c. The position of the lightship is indicated by the center of the star on the symbol's mast.
    N d. Maury Lightship swings about her anchor on a circle with a 21-meter diameter.

280: Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, a lighted buoy with a spherical topmark marks __________.

    N a. the port side of the channel
    Y b. safe water
    N c. a hazard to navigation
    N d. the position of underwater cables

280: Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, a lighted buoy with a spherical topmark marks __________.

    N a. the port side of the channel
    Y b. safe water
    N c. a hazard to navigation
    N d. the position of underwater cables

476: Tropical cyclones normally form within which of the following belts of latitude?

    Y a. 5° to 15°
    N b. 15° to 30°
    N c. 30° to 45°
    N d. 45° to 60°

513: You are radar scanning for a buoy fitted with a racon. Which radar screen represents the presentation you should expect on the PPI? (D017NG )

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

515: The small circle of the celestial sphere parallel to the celestial equator, and transcribed by the daily motion of the body, is called the __________.

    N a. hour circle of the body
    Y b. parallel of declination
    N c. vertical circle of the body
    N d. parallel of altitude

549: On a working copy of a weather map, an occluded front is represented by which color line?

    N a. Red
    N b. Blue
    N c. Alternating red and blue
    Y d. Purple

552: A Mercator chart is a __________.

    Y a. cylindrical projection
    N b. simple conic projection
    N c. polyconic projection
    N d. rectangular projection

559: A great circle crosses the equator at 162°E. It will also cross the equator at what other longitude?

    N a. 62°E
    N b. 126°W
    N c. 162°W
    Y d. 18°W

571: The Coast Guard Captain of the Port has excluded all traffic from a section of a port, while a regatta is taking place. The buoys marking this exclusion area will be __________.

    N a. nun- or can-shaped to conform to the overall direction of navigation
    N b. yellow
    Y c. orange and white
    N d. marked with a spherical topmark

603: What is the approximate wave length of an X Band Radar operating on a frequency of approximately 9500 MHz?

    Y a. 3 cm
    N b. 10 cm
    N c. 30 cm
    N d. 100 cm

697: The set of the current is the __________.

    N a. speed of the current at a particular time
    N b. maximum speed of the current
    N c. direction from which the current flows
    Y d. direction in which the current flows

863: The compass heading of a vessel differs from the true heading by __________.

    Y a. compass error
    N b. variation
    N c. magnetic dip
    N d. deviation

867: Which ocean current is "warm" based on the latitude in which it originates and on the effect it has on climate?

    Y a. Kuroshio Current
    N b. Benguela Current
    N c. Peru Current
    N d. California Current

869: Tropical storms and hurricanes are most likely to form in the Southern hemisphere during __________.

    Y a. January through March
    N b. April through May
    N c. June through August
    N d. September through November

927: The set of the equatorial countercurrent is generally to the __________.

    N a. north
    Y b. east
    N c. southwest
    N d. northwest

947: The cold ocean current which meets the warm Gulf Stream between latitudes 40° and 43°N to form the "cold wall" is called the __________.

    N a. North Cape Current
    Y b. Labrador Current
    N c. Greenland Current
    N d. North Atlantic Current

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°

1104: Which condition(s) is(are) necessary for the formation of dew?

    N a. Clear skies
    N b. Calm air
    N c. Earth's surface cooler than the dew point of the air
    Y d. All of the above

1178: The range of tide is the __________.

    N a. distance the tide moves out from the shore
    Y b. difference between the heights of high and low tide
    N c. duration of time between the high and low tide
    N d. maximum depth of the water at high tide

1230: Weather forecast messages are usually __________.

    N a. given only to TV stations
    N b. transmitted only by commercial broadcast stations
    Y c. broadcast in plain language
    N d. broadcast immediately on VHF Channel 16 and 2182 kHz

1297: What will be the velocity of the tidal current at Bournedale, MA, at 1135 DST (ZD +4) on 3 May 1983?

    N a. 1.1 knots
    N b. 2.3 knots
    Y c. 3.0 knots
    N d. 3.6 knots

1326: A cloud sequence of cirrus, cirrostratus, and altostratus clouds followed by rain usually signifies the approach of a(n) __________.

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

1331: When trying to sight a lighthouse you notice a glare from a town in the background. The range at which the light may be sighted due to this glare is __________.

    Y a. considerably reduced
    N b. increased slightly due to extra lighting
    N c. unchanged
    N d. increased if the light is red or green due to contrast with the glare

1348: Vessel required to have an Automatic Radar Plotting Aid must have a device to indicate the __________.

    Y a. speed of the vessel over the ground or through the water
    N b. distance to the next port
    N c. time of the next navigational satellite pass
    N d. None of the above

1359: The distance in longitude from the intersection of a great circle and the equator to the lower vertex is how many degrees of longitude?

    N a. 45°
    Y b. 90°
    N c. 135°
    N d. 180°

1362: Which type of cloud is indicated by the number 7 in illustration D039NG? (D039NG )

    N a. Cirrostratus
    N b. Altocumulus
    Y c. Cumulus
    N d. Cumulonimbus

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.

1504: The time meridian used when computing the height of tide for Pensacola Bay, FL, is __________.

    N a. 75°00'W
    N b. 82°30'W
    Y c. 90°00'W
    N d. 97°30'W

1523: Which is a characteristic of the weather preceding an approaching warm front?

    N a. Gusty winds
    Y b. Steadily falling barometric pressure
    N c. Decreasing relative humidity
    N d. Clearing skies

1588: The letter D in illustration D006NG represents the __________.

    Y a. geometrical horizon
    N b. geoidal horizon
    N c. celestial horizon
    N d. visible horizon

1590: Civil twilight starts at 1812 zone time on 26 August 1981, Your DR position at that time is LAT 21°06'S, LONG 14°56' W. Which statement concerning the planets available for evening sights is TRUE?

    N a. Mars will be near the prime vertical in the eastern sky.
    Y b. Venus may be identified from Saturn and Jupiter because it is the brightest.
    N c. Sights of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn will yield a good three line fix.
    N d. A sight of either Jupiter, Saturn, or Venus will give a latitude line.

1607: When your barometer reading changes from 30.25 to 30.05 in a 12-hour period it indicates __________.

    N a. rapidly changing weather
    N b. improving weather
    N c. high winds within the next six hours
    Y d. little or no immediate change

1696: Two well-developed high pressure areas may be separated by a __________.

    N a. hill of low pressure
    Y b. trough of low pressure
    N c. valley of low pressure
    N d. ridge of low pressure

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

1798: The climate of the northern Gulf coast __________.

    N a. is humid and subtropical throughout the year
    N b. has an east coast marine type of climate
    Y c. is a warm marine type of climate
    N d. varies from warm to subtropical

1807: Which weather system produces strong cold winds called "Northers" during the winter months in the Gulf of Mexico?

    N a. A polar maritime air mass
    Y b. A high pressure system
    N c. A cyclone
    N d. A low pressure system

1932: The zenith is the point on the celestial sphere that is __________.

    N a. 90° away from the poles
    Y b. directly over the observer
    N c. on the eastern horizon
    N d. over Greenwich

1972: The point on the celestial sphere that is directly over the observer is the __________.

    N a. node
    N b. pole
    Y c. zenith
    N d. nadir

2125: On charts of U.S. waters, a magenta marking is NOT used for marking a __________.

    N a. radio beacon
    N b. lighted buoy
    Y c. 5-fathom curve
    N d. prohibited area

2170: The temperature at which the air is saturated with water vapor and below which condensation of water vapor will occur is referred to as the __________.

    N a. precipitation point
    N b. vapor point
    Y c. dew point
    N d. absolute humidity

2224: By convention, the north seeking ends of a compass' magnets are colored __________.

    N a. black
    N b. blue
    Y c. red
    N d. white

2270: The lubber's line of a magnetic compass __________.

    N a. always shows true north direction
    Y b. indicates the vessel's heading
    N c. is always parallel to the vessel's transom
    N d. is located on the compass card

2356: As observed from the Earth, the angle between lines from the Earth to the Sun and the Earth to an inferior planet is known as __________.

    Y a. elongation
    N b. conjunction
    N c. opposition
    N d. quadrature

2392: The point where the Sun is at maximum declination north or south is __________.

    N a. aphelion
    N b. perihelion
    N c. an equinox
    Y d. a solstice

2416: An orange and white buoy indicating a vessel-exclusion area will be marked with what symbol?

    N a. Open-faced diamond
    Y b. Diamond with a cross
    N c. Circle
    N d. Square

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

2504: Under the IALA-A Buoyage System, when entering from seaward a lateral system buoy to be left to starboard may display which topmark shown? (D046NG )

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

2509: All persons or vessels within the lock area, including the lock approach channels, come under the authority of the __________.

    N a. dockmaster
    N b. dock captain
    Y c. lockmaster
    N d. lock foreman

2585: The letter D as shown represents the __________. (D006NG )

    N a. visible horizon
    Y b. geometrical horizon
    N c. sensible horizon
    N d. celestial horizon

2760: You are pushing a tow ahead, at high speed, near the right hand bank of a canal. The forces affecting your towboat and tow will tend to __________.

    N a. push both the head of the tow and the stern of the towboat away from the right hand bank
    Y b. push the head of the tow away from, and pull the stern of the towboat into, the right hand bank
    N c. pull both the head of the tow and the stern of the towboat into the right hand bank
    N d. pull the head of the tow into, and push the stern of the towboat away from, the right hand bank

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

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

2800: Where is the pivot point of a towboat with a tow ahead?

    N a. One-third the length of the combined unit forward of the towboat
    Y b. One-third the length of the combined unit back from the head
    N c. At the head of the towboat
    N d. One-half the length of the combined unit

3078: Which data must ECDIS be able to record at one-minute intervals?

    N a. Position
    N b. Electronic navigational chart source
    N c. Course made good history
    Y d. All of the above

3089: As a licensed Merchant Marine Officer you are expected to __________.

    N a. obtain a weather forecast before setting out from port
    N b. listen to weather forecasts on the radio while enroute
    N c. understand all broadcast weather warning information
    Y d. All of the above