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.


27: Spring tides are tides that __________.


150: An alternating light __________.


192: The description "Racon" beside an illustration on a chart would mean a __________.


193: In using Loran-C, skywave reception gives greater range but is __________.

    N a. only accurate during daylight hours
    Y b. much less accurate
    N c. only accurate at twilight
    N d. more accurate than using ground waves

291: A buoy marking a wreck will show a(n) __________.

    Y a. white light FL (2) and a topmark of 2 black spheres
    N b. occulting green light and may be lettered
    N c. yellow light and will be numbered
    N d. continuous quick white light and may be numbered

307: The time meridian that is used when computing the currents for Pensacola Bay, Florida, is __________.

    N a. 60°W
    N b. 75°W
    Y c. 90°W
    N d. 105°W

454: On what does the operation of an aneroid barometer depend?

    Y a. Thin, metal, air tight cell
    N b. Curved tube containing alcohol
    N c. Column of mercury supported by atmospheric pressure
    N d. Expansion of mercury in a closed tube

487: What will be the time after 0600 (ZD +3), on 6 March 1983, that the height of the tide at Puerto Rosales, Argentina, will be 9.0 feet (2.7 meters)?

    N a. 0740
    N b. 0754
    N c. 0840
    Y d. 0922

518: With regard to GPS, a civilian receiver may be capable of achieving the same accuracy as a military receiver if __________.

    Y a. selective availability is set to zero
    N b. the satellites are all below 15° in elevation
    N c. your vessel is equipped with a Doppler receiver
    N d. the horizontal dilution of precision is high

519: The chart of a beach area shows a very flat slope to the underwater beach bottom. What type of breakers can be expected when trying to land a boat on this beach?

    N a. Surging
    Y b. Spilling
    N c. Plunging
    N d. Converging

521: Which sextant has an index error of 2'10" on the arc? (D050NG )

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

528: What should you expect when you encounter a tsunami in the open ocean?

    N a. Violent seas from mixed directions
    Y b. No noticeable change from the existing sea state
    N c. Winds increasing to gale force from the northwest in the Northern Hemisphere
    N d. A major wave of extreme height and length

546: If it is impossible to avoid a hurricane in the Northern Hemisphere, the most favorable place to be when the storm passes is in __________.

    N a. the dangerous semicircle
    N b. the eye (center) of the storm
    N c. that half of the storm lying to the right of the storm's path
    Y d. that half of the storm lying to the left of the storm's path

592: To measure distance on a Mercator chart between the parallels of LAT 34°30'N and LAT 31°30'N, which 30 mile scale should be used?

    N a. 33°00'N to 33°30'N
    N b. 32°30'N to 33°00'N
    Y c. 32°45'N to 33°15'N
    N d. 32°15'N to 32°45'N

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

621: Navigational marks used for informational or regulatory purposes are __________.

    N a. solid yellow
    Y b. white with orange geometric shapes
    N c. red and white vertically-striped
    N d. green and red horizontally-banded

634: What will cause the ARPA to emit a visual alarm, audible alarm, or both?

    N a. An acquired target entering into a guard zone
    N b. A tracked target lost for one radar scan
    Y c. A tracked target entering your preset CPA-TCPA limits
    N d. A target being initially detected within a guard zone

721: Under the IALA Buoyage System, a red and white vertically-striped buoy would NOT indicate __________.

    N a. a landfall
    Y b. the extreme end of an islet
    N c. a mid-channel
    N d. a center line

735: The period of the Earth's revolution from perihelion to perihelion is the __________.

    N a. astronomical year
    Y b. anomalistic year
    N c. solar year
    N d. sidereal year

763: Time signals broadcast by WWV and WWVH are transmitted __________.

    N a. every 15 minutes
    N b. every 30 minutes
    N c. every hour
    Y d. continuously throughout day

781: The IALA Buoyage Systems do NOT apply to __________.

    N a. the sides and centerlines of navigable channels
    N b. natural dangers and other obstructions, such as wrecks
    Y c. lighthouses and lightships
    N d. areas in which navigation may be subject to regulation

816: Cyclones that have warm sectors usually move __________.

    N a. westerly
    Y b. parallel to the isobars in the warm sector
    N c. toward the nearest high pressure area
    N d. faster than the accompanying cold front

852: What is published by the U.S. Coast Guard?

    Y a. Light List
    N b. Nautical Charts
    N c. Tide Tables
    N d. U.S. Coast Pilot

909: What is the average speed of movement of a hurricane prior to recurvature?

    N a. 4 to 6 knots
    N b. 6 to 8 knots
    Y c. 10 to 12 knots
    N d. 15 to 20 knots

1005: The refraction correction table given in the Nautical Almanac is based on a standard or average atmospheric density with a temperature of 50°F (10°C) and atmospheric pressure of __________.

    N a. 29.72 inches (1006 millibars)
    Y b. 29.83 inches (1010 millibars)
    N c. 29.89 inches (1012 millibars)
    N d. 29.93 inches (1014 millibars)

1019: You are preparing a weather report form, WS Form B-80. The dry bulb thermometer reads 30°F (-1°), and the wet bulb thermometer reads 28°F (-2°C). Using the Ships Code Card, how would you encode the air temperature groups in the report? (D041NG )

    N a. 10011, 2003/
    N b. 11300, 2124/
    N c. 11011, 2124/
    Y d. 11011, 2104/

1091: The cardinal mark topmark shown in illustration D024NG represents which quadrant? (D024NG )

    N a. Northern
    N b. Eastern
    N c. Southern
    Y d. Western

1152: When using GPS without Selective Availability, you may expect your horizontal accuracy to be better than __________.

    N a. 3 meters
    Y b. 20 meters
    N c. 100 meters
    N d. 200 meters

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

1199: The Sailing Directions (Enroute) contain information on __________.

    N a. well-charted inner dangers
    N b. port facilities
    Y c. coastal anchorages
    N d. offshore traffic separation schemes

1246: What weather change accompanies the passage of a cold front in the Northern Hemisphere?

    N a. Wind shift from northeast clockwise to southwest
    N b. Steady dropping of barometric pressure
    N c. Steady precipitation, gradually increasing in intensity
    Y d. A line of cumulonimbus clouds

1246: What weather change accompanies the passage of a cold front in the Northern Hemisphere?

    N a. Wind shift from northeast clockwise to southwest
    N b. Steady dropping of barometric pressure
    N c. Steady precipitation, gradually increasing in intensity
    Y d. A line of cumulonimbus clouds

1258: You should log all barometer readings taken at sea __________.

    N a. regularly
    N b. at least once during each watch
    N c. more often under changeable weather conditions
    Y d. All of the above

1330: You are located within a stationary high pressure area. Your aneroid barometer is falling very slowly. This indicates a(n) __________.

    N a. wind shift of 180°
    N b. large increase in wind velocity
    Y c. decrease in the pressure of the system
    N d. increase in the intensity of the system

1372: You are enroute to Jacksonville, FL, from San Juan, P.R. There is a fresh N'ly wind blowing. As you cross the axis of the Gulf Stream you would expect to encounter __________.

    N a. cirrus clouds
    N b. long swells
    N c. smoother seas and warmer water
    Y d. steeper waves, closer together

1530: In shallow water, waves that are too steep to be stable, causing the crests to move forward faster than the rest of the wave, are called __________.

    N a. rollers
    Y b. breakers
    N c. white caps
    N d. surfers

1536: What will NOT induce errors into a Doppler sonar log?

    Y a. Increased draft
    N b. Pitch
    N c. Roll
    N d. Change in trim

1620: You are at anchor in the anchorage at the entrance to Delaware Bay. If you weigh anchor at 1445 DST (ZD +4) on 24 July 1983 and proceed northbound enroute to Philadelphia at a speed of 10 knots, you will have __________.

    N a. a flood current the entire trip
    N b. a flood current from Ship John Shoal Lt. to Philadelphia
    N c. an ebb current north of New Castle, DE
    Y d. a weak flood between Reedy Island and Edgemoor

1693: A phenomenon where the atmospheric pressure is higher than that of other surrounding regions is called __________.

    N a. the "trade winds"
    N b. a low front or an occluded front
    Y c. a high pressure area; an anticyclone; or a "high"
    N d. the "doldrums"

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

1731: When your vessel is on or near the path of an approaching tropical storm the __________.

    N a. wind direction remains steady
    N b. wind speed increases
    N c. barometer falls
    Y d. All of the above

1738: In the Northern Hemisphere, the right half of the storm is known as the dangerous semicircle because __________.

    N a. The wind speed is greater here since the wind is traveling in the same general direction as the storm's track
    N b. the direction of the wind and seas might carry a vessel into the path of the storm
    N c. the seas are higher because of greater wind speed
    Y d. All of the above

1764: What natural feature is responsible for the rather even climate found on the Florida peninsula throughout the year?

    N a. Strong masses of continental air
    Y b. The Gulf Stream
    N c. The Bermuda high
    N d. The cool waters of the Sargasso sea

1770: A Doppler speed log indicates speed over ground __________.

    N a. at all times
    Y b. in the bottom return mode
    N c. in the volume reverberation mode
    N d. only when there is no current

1838: The Light List shows a lighted aid to navigation on the left bank. This means that the light can be seen on the starboard side of a vessel __________.

    Y a. ascending the river
    N b. descending the river
    N c. crossing the river
    N d. proceeding towards sea

1926: The prime vertical is the great circle on the celestial sphere that passes through the __________.

    N a. celestial poles and the zenith
    Y b. zenith, nadir and the east point of the horizon
    N c. celestial poles and the celestial body
    N d. zenith, nadir and celestial body

1930: The phase correction should be applied to sights of Venus and Mars __________.

    N a. during day time observations only
    Y b. during twilight observations only
    N c. at all times
    N d. when observed at altitudes of less than 25°

2008: What term is used to describe a tank barge constructed with the structural framing outside the cargo tank and the cargo tank plating separated from the shell plating?

    N a. Shell plated
    Y b. Double hull
    N c. Hopper type
    N d. Independent tank

2061: Fog is likely to occur when there is little difference between the dew point and the __________.

    N a. relative humidity
    Y b. air temperature
    N c. barometric pressure
    N d. absolute humidity

2212: Which information is found in the chart title?

    N a. Number of the chart
    N b. Edition date
    N c. Variation information
    Y d. Survey information

2259: A vessel is heading magnetic northwest and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 317°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

    N a. If the quadrantal spheres are out as far as possible replace them with smaller spheres.
    N b. If the quadrantal spheres are in as far as possible remove one of the spheres.
    N c. If the quadrantal spheres are in as far as possible replace them with smaller spheres.
    Y d. If the quadrantal spheres are out as far as possible, move the quadrantal spheres in.

2262: The Milky Way is an example of a __________.

    N a. cluster
    Y b. galaxy
    N c. nova
    N d. nebula

2508: Normal pool elevation is the height in feet of the section of river above a dam. This height is measured from __________.

    N a. low steel on the Huey P. Long Bridge
    Y b. mean sea level
    N c. the local water table
    N d. the minimum dam control level

2539: Under the IALA cardinal system, a mark with quick white light showing 3 flashes every 10 seconds indicates that the safest water in the area is on the __________.

    N a. north side of the mark
    N b. west side of the mark
    Y c. east side of the mark
    N d. south side of the mark

2812: A line of position from a celestial observation is a segment of a __________.

    Y a. circle of equal altitude
    N b. parallel of declination
    N c. parallel of altitude
    N d. vertical circle

2826: You take a bearing of 043° and 169° of two objects. What bearing of a third object will give the best fix?

    N a. 356°
    Y b. 102°
    N c. 144°
    N d. 201°

2970: The Light List shows a lighted aid to navigation on the left bank. This means that the light can be seen on the port side of a vessel __________.

    N a. ascending the river
    Y b. descending the river
    N c. crossing the river
    N d. proceeding from seaward

3008: You take a bearing of 086° of a lighthouse. Which bearing of another object would give the best fix?

    N a. 291°
    N b. 261°
    N c. 242°
    Y d. 196°

3117: With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is required to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?

    Y a. Time stamp
    N b. IMO number
    N c. Type of vessel
    N d. Vessel's maximum displacement

3118: With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is required to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?

    N a. Call sign and IMO number
    Y b. Course over ground and MMSI
    N c. MMSI number and call sign
    N d. Route Plan and navigational status