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.


96: A weather forecast states that the wind will commence veering. In the Northern Hemisphere this indicates that the wind will __________.


325: What is the longitude of the geographical position of a body whose Greenwich hour angle is 210°30'?


328: The direction of prevailing winds in the Northern hemisphere is caused by the __________.


368: A great circle crosses the equator at 134°E. It will also cross the equator at what other longitude?

    Y a. 46°W
    N b. 124°W
    N c. 134°W
    N d. 34°E

390: During the winter months, the southeast trade winds are __________.

    Y a. stronger than during the summer months
    N b. weaker than during the summer months
    N c. drier than during the summer months
    N d. wetter than during the summer months

390: During the winter months, the southeast trade winds are __________.

    Y a. stronger than during the summer months
    N b. weaker than during the summer months
    N c. drier than during the summer months
    N d. wetter than during the summer months

400: Information about the currents for the Pacific Coast of the U. S. are found in the __________.

    N a. Ocean Current Tables
    N b. Nautical Almanac
    N c. Tide Tables
    Y d. Tidal Current Tables

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

589: What is the index error of sextant D? (D050NG )

    N a. 7'10" on the arc
    N b. 6'50" on the arc
    N c. 3'00" on the arc
    Y d. 2'10" on the arc

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

668: You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133°T, and bears 042° at 105 miles from you. What is the course to steer at 10 knots to intercept vessel A?

    N a. 063°
    N b. 068°
    N c. 073°
    Y d. 079°

712: Information about the pilotage available at Miami harbor may best be obtained from which publication?

    N a. World Port Index
    N b. Sailing Directions
    N c. Pilot Chart
    Y d. United States Coast Pilot

755: The sidereal day begins when the __________.

    N a. Sun is over the lower branch of the reference meridian
    N b. Sun is over the upper branch of the reference meridian
    N c. first point of Aries is over the lower branch of the reference meridian
    Y d. first point of Aries is over the upper branch of the reference meridian

804: A relative bearing is always measured from __________.

    N a. true north
    N b. magnetic north
    N c. the vessel's beam
    Y d. the vessel's head

810: The position labeled B is a(n) __________. (D051NG )

    N a. fix
    N b. running fix
    Y c. estimated position
    N d. dead reckoning position

820: A position obtained by crossing lines of position taken at different times and advanced to a common time is a(n) __________.

    N a. dead-reckoning position
    Y b. running fix
    N c. estimated position
    N d. fix

849: The Light List shows that a navigational light has a nominal range of 12 miles and a height above water of 25 feet (7.6 meters). Your height of eye is 30 feet (9.1 meters) and the visibility is 0.5 mile. At what approximate range will you first sight the light?

    N a. 0.5 mile
    Y b. 1.4 miles
    N c. 5.2 miles
    N d. 12.0 miles

900: An orange and white buoy with a rectangle on it is a(n) __________.

    Y a. informational buoy
    N b. junction buoy
    N c. safe water buoy
    N d. All of the above

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

963: To center a compass bowl in its binnacle, you should have the ship on an even keel, heading north or south, and adjust the screws until __________.

    N a. the compass heading is in line with the lubber's line
    N b. there is no lost motion in the gimbal rings
    Y c. no change of heading by compass is observed if you raise and lower the heeling magnet
    N d. the gimbal rings do not strike the compass frame when they are tilted

1010: What is a characteristic of a rhumb line?

    N a. It is the shortest distance between two points on the Earth.
    N b. It plots as a straight line on a Lambert conformal chart.
    Y c. It cuts each meridian at the same angle.
    N d. The course angle constantly changes to form the loxodromic curve.

1014: Relative humidity is the percentage of water vapor that is in the air as compared to the maximum amount it can hold at __________.

    N a. a specific barometric pressure
    Y b. a specific temperature
    N c. a specific wind speed
    N d. any time

1069: What do the numbers on isobars indicate?

    Y a. barometric pressure
    N b. temperature
    N c. rain in inches
    N d. wind speed

1099: 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 course to steer at 9 knots to intercept vessel A?

    N a. 356°
    Y b. 003°
    N c. 022°
    N d. 038°

1140: What is the light characteristic of a lighted, preferred-channel buoy?

    N a. Group flashing
    Y b. Composite group flashing
    N c. Interrupted quick flashing
    N d. Fixed and flashing

1224: NGA (NIMA) charts are adopting the metric system. In order to change a charted depth in meters to feet you may use the conversion table found __________.

    N a. in the Light List
    N b. in Bowditch Vol. II
    N c. on the chart
    Y d. All of the above

1238: What will be the height of tide at Three Mile Harbor Entrance, Gardiners Bay, NY, at 0700 (ZD +5) on 14 Nov 1983?

    N a. 1.1 feet (0.3 meters)
    Y b. 1.7 feet (0.5 meters)
    N c. 1.9 feet (0.6 meters)
    N d. 2.2 feet (0.7 meters)

1274: The Illustration shows the symbols used on radio facsimile weather charts. Which of these symbols indicates a sandstorm? (D042NG )

    N a. H
    Y b. O
    N c. P
    N d. K

1287: What will be the velocity of the tidal current 4.5 miles east of Smith Point, VA, at 0630 DST (ZD +4) on 6 May 1983?

    Y a. 0.3 knot
    N b. 0.5 knot
    N c. 0.7 knot
    N d. 1.0 knot

1340: The annual change in variation for an area can be found in __________.

    N a. the handbook for Magnetic Compass Adjustment, Pub 226
    Y b. the center of the compass rose on a chart of the area
    N c. the compass deviation table
    N d. Variation does not change.

1461: The chart indicates the variation was 3°45'W in 1988, and the annual change is decreasing 6'. If you use the chart in 1991 how much variation should you apply?

    Y a. 3°27'W
    N b. 3°27'E
    N c. 4°03'W
    N d. 4°03'E

1468: What is NOT an advantage of the rhumb line track over a great circle track?

    N a. Easily plotted on a Mercator chart
    N b. Negligible increase in distance on east-west courses near the equator
    N c. Does not require constant course changes
    Y d. Plots as a straight line on Lambert conformal charts

1480: What is the definition of height of tide?

    N a. The vertical difference between the heights of low and high water
    N b. The vertical difference between a datum plane and the ocean bottom
    N c. The vertical distance from the surface of the water to the ocean floor
    Y d. The vertical distance from the tidal datum to the level of the water at any time

1529: Widely spaced isobars on a weather map indicate __________.

    N a. high winds
    Y b. gentle breezes
    N c. ice, snow or frozen rain
    N d. probability of tornados

1561: You are sailing south on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) when you sight a red nun buoy with a yellow square painted on it. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. The buoy is off station and should be ignored as a navigational mark.
    N b. The waterway in that area has shoaled and the available depth of water is less than the project depth.
    N c. ICW traffic should not proceed beyond the buoy unless the crossing waterway is clear of all traffic.
    Y d. You should leave the buoy to port.

1643: Cumulus clouds that have undergone vertical development and have become cumulonimbus in form, indicate __________.

    N a. clearing weather
    N b. that a warm front has passed
    Y c. probable thunderstorm activity
    N d. an approaching hurricane or typhoon

1649: If you count 20 seconds between seeing lightning and hearing the thunder, how far is the storm away from you?

    N a. 2 miles
    Y b. 4 miles
    N c. 6 miles
    N d. 8 miles

1713: When a tornado moves over the water from land it is called a __________.

    N a. tornado
    Y b. waterspout
    N c. hurricane
    N d. cyclone

1727: What enables you to estimate the bearing of a storm's center?

    Y a. Buys Ballot's Law
    N b. An educated guess
    N c. Pascal's Law
    N d. The left-hand rule

1769: Under the numbering system used by NGA (NIMA), a three digit number may be used for __________.

    Y a. a small scale chart depicting a major portion of an ocean basin or a position plotting sheet
    N b. non-navigational materials such as radar plotting sheets
    N c. products issued periodically such as the Notice to Mariners
    N d. large scale charts of areas that are infrequently used for navigation such as the headwaters of rivers

1795: Which weather element cannot be measured accurately while on board a moving vessel?

    N a. Relative humidity
    Y b. Cloud base height
    N c. Temperature
    N d. Atmospheric pressure

1810: Where will you find information about the duration of slack water?

    N a. Tide Tables
    N b. Sailing Directions
    Y c. Tidal Current Tables
    N d. American Practical Navigator

1951: Spring tides occur __________.

    Y a. when the moon is new or full
    N b. when the moon and sun have declination of the same name
    N c. only when the moon and sun are on the same sides of the earth
    N d. at the beginning of spring when the sun is over the equator

2006: What is the relative bearing of an object broad on the port beam?

    N a. 315°
    N b. 300°
    Y c. 270°
    N d. 235°

2056: This illustration represents a fixed C of E lock and dam. What navigational light(s) is(are) exhibited at the position indicated by the letter C? (D038NG )

    N a. One red light
    Y b. Two green lights
    N c. Three green lights
    N d. No lights

2116: Vessels regularly navigating rivers above Cairo, Illinois, shall at all times have on board a copy of the __________.

    N a. Nautical Almanac for the year
    Y b. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulations (Blue Book)
    N c. Sailing Directions
    N d. All of the above

2165: The illustration represents a movable dam. If there is high water and the wickets are down so that there is an unobstructed navigable pass through the dam, what light(s) will be shown at B if the lock walls and piers are not awash? (D037NG )

    Y a. Three red lights
    N b. Two red lights
    N c. One red light
    N d. One amber light

2209: You have completed the magnetic compass adjustments on magnetic east and magnetic south. The vessel is now steady on magnetic west but the compass reads 266°. You should now adjust the compass until it reads __________.

    Y a. 268°
    N b. 270°
    N c. 274°
    N d. Do not adjust the compass, just record the error.

2240: If you observe a buoy off station you should __________.

    N a. fill out and mail CG Form 2692 to the nearest Coast Guard office
    N b. appear in person at the nearest Coast Guard office
    N c. notify Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC
    Y d. immediately contact the nearest Coast Guard office by radiotelephone

2310: Which weather instrument measures atmospheric pressure?

    N a. Beaufort scale
    N b. Anemometer
    N c. Sling psychrometer
    Y d. Barometer

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

2522: The letter H in illustration D006NG represents the __________. (D006NG )

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

2588: You are approaching an open drawbridge and sound the proper signal. You receive no acknowledgment from the bridge. Which action should you take?

    Y a. Approach with caution and proceed through the open draw.
    N b. Approach under full control to a position no closer than 400 yards from the bridge and await a signal from the bridge.
    N c. Hold in the channel as a vessel is closing the bridge from the other direction.
    N d. Resound the opening signal and do not pass through the bridge until signals have been exchanged.

2592: A deadhead is a(n) __________.

    Y a. tree or log awash in a nearly vertical position
    N b. crew member who refuses to work
    N c. upstream end of a land wall
    N d. buoy that is adrift

2660: In the celestial equator system of coordinates what is equivalent to the longitude of the Earth system of coordinates?

    N a. Zenith distance
    N b. Azimuth angle
    N c. Declination
    Y d. Greenwich hour angle

2718: A power-driven vessel operating in a narrow channel with a following current, on the Western Rivers, is meeting an upbound vessel. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. The downbound vessel has the right-of-way.
    N b. The downbound vessel must initiate the required maneuvering signals.
    N c. The downbound vessel must propose the manner and place of passage.
    Y d. All of the above

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

2999: When entering a channel from seaward, the numbers on buoys __________.

    N a. are the same as their Light List number
    N b. are marked in 6 inch figures with retroreflective material
    Y c. increase with the even numbers to starboard
    N d. decrease with the odd numbers to starboard

3028: The channel under a bridge is marked with aids from the lateral system. The centerline of the channel is marked on the bridge with __________.

    N a. a yellow triangle
    N b. three white lights
    N c. a black-and-white diamond
    Y d. a red-and-white octagon

3113: With respect to automatic identification systems (AIS), which information is required to be broadcast every 1 to 10 seconds?

    N a. Call sign
    N b. Vessel's draft
    N c. Route plan
    Y d. None of the above