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.


112: Which chart number indicates an NGA (NIMA) chart designed for inshore coastwise navigation?


138: The path that a vessel is expected to follow, represented on a chart by a line drawn from the point of departure to the point of arrival, is the __________.


182: The scale on a chart is given as 1:5,000,000. This means that __________.


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

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

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

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

269: The wind at Frying Pan shoals has been south-southwesterly at an average velocity of 30 knots. The predicted set and drift of the rotary current are 232° at 0.8 knot. What current should you expect?

    N a. 065° at 1.2 knots
    N b. 092° at 1.3 knots
    N c. 139° at 0.6 knot
    Y d. 224° at 0.4 knot

272: What does the symbol shown indicate on a chart? (D033NG )

    N a. A sunken vessel marked by a buoy
    Y b. A safe water beacon
    N c. A red and white can buoy
    N d. A can buoy with a rotating white light

313: The Loran-C receiver __________.

    N a. is not affected by interference
    N b. can be used at any distance with accuracy
    Y c. can be affected by interference
    N d. is reliable only from sunrise to sunset

406: Your vessel is on course 135°T, speed 18 knots. From the appearance of the sea you estimate the speed of the true wind as 24.5 knots. The apparent wind is 40° on the starboard bow. Determine the speed of the apparent wind.

    N a. 24.2 knots
    N b. 28.4 knots
    N c. 32.2 knots
    Y d. 36.0 knots

446: The usual sequence of directions in which a tropical cyclone moves in the Southern Hemisphere is __________.

    N a. northwest, west, and south
    Y b. southwest, south, and southeast
    N c. north, northwest, and east
    N d. west, northwest, and north

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

638: Swell is the rise and fall of the ocean's surface due to __________.

    N a. fetch
    Y b. distant winds
    N c. local storms
    N d. the pull of the moon

652: What agency of the U.S. Government issues charts of U.S. waters and Coast Pilots?

    Y a. National Ocean Service
    N b. National Imagery and Mapping Agency
    N c. U.S. Coast Guard
    N d. U.S. Naval Observatory

679: A tropical wave is usually preceded by __________.

    N a. tropical storms
    Y b. good weather
    N c. heavy rain and cloudiness
    N d. heavy seas

710: What is the FIRST sign of the existence of a well developed tropical cyclone?

    N a. Gale force winds from the north
    Y b. An unusually long ocean swell
    N c. Steep, short-period waves and light wind
    N d. Thunderstorms and higher than usual humidity

728: In the Bay of Fundy, during twilight, you a take sight of Mars. The sextant altitude (hs) is 03°35.5'. Your height of eye is 32 feet and there is no index error. The air temperature is -10°C and the barometer reads 1010 millibars. What is the observed altitude (Ho)?

    N a. 03°14.5'
    Y b. 03°15.8'
    N c. 03°16.2'
    N d. 03°28.8'

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

761: Under the IALA Buoyage Systems, a safe water mark may NOT __________.

    N a. be spherical
    N b. display a white light
    N c. be lettered
    Y d. show a quick flashing light

836: In North America the majority of the weather systems move from __________.

    N a. north to south
    N b. south to north
    N c. east to west
    Y d. west to east

885: The daily path of a celestial body that is parallel to the celestial equator is the __________.

    N a. altitude circle
    N b. vertical circle
    Y c. diurnal circle
    N d. hour circle

903: Eight points of a compass are equal to how many degrees?

    N a. 45
    Y b. 90
    N c. 180
    N d. 360

976: The atmosphere in the vicinity of a high pressure area is called a(n) __________.

    Y a. anticyclone
    N b. cold front
    N c. occluded front
    N d. cyclone

978: The wind velocity is higher in the dangerous semicircle of a tropical cyclone because of the __________.

    N a. recurvature effect
    N b. extension of the low pressure ridge
    Y c. wind circulation and forward motion of the storm
    N d. direction of circulation and pressure gradient

1038: You are preparing a weather report form, WS Form B-80. The dry bulb thermometer reads 54°F, and the wet bulb thermometer reads 50°F. How would you encode the air temperature groups in the report? (D041NG )

    N a. 1054/, 2050/
    Y b. 10122, 2008/
    N c. 1054/, 2047/
    N d. 054//, 047//

1116: When a cold air mass and a warm air mass meet, and there is no horizontal motion of either air mass, it is called a(n) __________.

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

1118: When entering from seaward, a buoy displaying a single-flashing red light indicates __________.

    N a. a junction with the preferred channel to the left
    Y b. the starboard side of the channel
    N c. a sharp turn in the channel to the right
    N d. a wreck to be left on the vessel's port side

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

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

1186: As a cold front passes an observer, pressure __________.

    N a. drops and winds become variable
    Y b. rises and winds become gusty
    N c. drops and winds become gusty
    N d. rises and winds become variable

1208: Which type of cloud is indicated by the number 1? (D039NG )

    Y a. Cirrus
    N b. Altostratus
    N c. Altocumulus
    N d. Nimbostratus

1245: You can follow the approach of a dangerous cyclonic storm by inspecting __________.

    Y a. a newspaper, a weather map, a weather fax, or a weather forecast
    N b. the National Weather Service Observing Handbook No.1, Marine Surface Observations
    N c. the Coast Pilot or Sailing Directions
    N d. the sky overhead

1265: When reporting wind direction, you should give the direction in __________.

    Y a. true degrees
    N b. magnetic compass degrees
    N c. relative degrees
    N d. isobaric degrees

1295: The best estimate of the wind direction at sea level can be obtained from observing the direction of the __________.

    N a. cloud movement
    N b. vessel heading
    Y c. waves
    N d. swells

1296: After a cold front passes the barometric pressure usually __________.

    N a. fluctuates
    N b. remains the same
    N c. remains the same, with clouds forming rapidly
    Y d. rises, often quite rapidly, with clearing skies

1306: What type of clouds are associated with a cold front?

    N a. Altostratus and fracto-cumulus
    N b. Altostratus and cirrus
    N c. Cirrus and cirrostratus
    Y d. Cumulus and cumulonimbus

1349: The symbols shown are used on radio facsimile weather charts. Which of these symbols indicates a severe squall line? (D042NG )

    N a. F
    N b. I
    Y c. G
    N d. H

1368: What area of the earth cannot be shown on a standard Mercator chart?

    N a. Equator
    N b. Areas including both North and South latitudes
    Y c. North and South Poles
    N d. A narrow band along the central meridian.

1442: A great circle track provides the maximum saving in distance on __________.

    Y a. easterly courses in high latitudes
    N b. southerly courses in high latitudes
    N c. westerly courses in low latitudes
    N d. easterly courses in low latitudes that cross the equator

1521: To avoid error you should read the scale of an aneroid barometer with your eye placed __________.

    N a. to the right of the pointer
    N b. to the left of the pointer
    Y c. directly in front of the pointer
    N d. slightly above the meniscus

1522: The pressure-sensitive element of an aneroid barometer is called a __________.

    N a. pressure bellows
    Y b. sylphon cell
    N c. column of mercury
    N d. constant pressure capsule

1567: Buoys and day beacons exhibiting a yellow triangle or square painted on them are used __________.

    N a. in minor harbors where the controlling depth is 10 feet (3 meters) or less
    N b. on isolated stretches of the ICW to mark undredged areas
    Y c. where the ICW and other waterways coincide
    N d. at particularly hazardous turns of the channel

1603: A position that is obtained by using two or more intersecting lines of position, taken at nearly the same time, is a(n) __________.

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

1625: A sling psychrometer is used to measure __________.

    N a. seawater temperature
    N b. engine temperature
    Y c. dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures
    N d. barometric pressure

1700: Generally speaking, you should expect to find low atmospheric pressure prevailing in the earth's __________.

    Y a. equatorial area
    N b. polar regions
    N c. mid-latitudes
    N d. All of the above

1883: Pressure gradient is a measure of __________.

    N a. a high-pressure area
    Y b. pressure difference over horizontal distance
    N c. pressure difference over time
    N d. vertical pressure variation

1970: The azimuth angle of a sun sight is always measured from the __________.

    N a. Greenwich meridian
    N b. prime vertical circle
    Y c. principal vertical circle
    N d. first point of Aries

2014: Which stock number indicates an NGA (NIMA) chart designed for navigation outside of outlying reefs and shoals?

    N a. 19BCO19243
    Y b. WOPGN530
    N c. LCORR5873
    N d. 14XCO14902

2239: A flashing green light displayed at a single lock means that the lock is __________.

    Y a. ready for entrance
    N b. ready for entrance, but gates cannot be closed completely
    N c. being made ready for entrance
    N d. not ready for entrance

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

2446: What is the equivalent of 47 min. 20 sec. in arc units?

    N a. 8°27'
    Y b. 11°50'
    N c. 13°42'
    N d. 13°56'

2466: On the Western Rivers, a vessel crossing a river must __________.

    N a. only keep out of the way of a power-driven vessel descending the river
    N b. keep out of the way of any vessel descending the river
    Y c. keep out of the way of a power-driven vessel ascending or descending the river
    N d. keep out of the way of any vessel ascending or descending the river

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

2506: Which is TRUE on the Western Rivers when a vessel downbound with a following current is meeting an upbound vessel?

    Y a. She has the right of way only if she is a power-driven vessel.
    N b. She has the right of way only if she has a tow.
    N c. She does not have the right of way, since the other vessel is not crossing the river.
    N d. She must wait for a whistle signal from the upbound vessel.

2916: You take a bearing of 191° and 313° to two objects. Which bearing of a third object will give the best fix?

    N a. 022°
    N b. 131°
    N c. 211°
    Y d. 249°

2936: Information on search and rescue procedures and special, local communications used in Mexican waters will be found in the __________.

    N a. World Port Index
    N b. International Code of Signals (Pub 102)
    Y c. Sailing Directions (Planning Guides)
    N d. International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual

2977: Which symbol represents a 2-fathom curve?

    N a. -- -- --
    N b. .. ____ .. ____ .. ____
    N c. ____ . ____ . ____ .
    Y d. .. .. .. .. ..