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.


21: Which buoy is NOT numbered?


149: You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 13 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 100°T, 120 miles from your position. The hurricane is moving towards 275°T at 25 knots. What course should you steer at 13 knots to have the maximum CPA?


155: The velocity of the current in large coastal harbors is __________.


176: Which wind pattern has the most influence over the movement of frontal weather systems over the North American continent?

    N a. Subpolar easterlies
    N b. Northeast trades
    Y c. Prevailing westerlies
    N d. Dominant southwesterly flow

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

    N a. radar conspicuous beacon
    N b. circular radio beacon
    Y c. radar transponder beacon
    N d. radar calibration beacon

292: The symbol which appears beside a light on a chart reads "Gp Fl R (2) 10 sec 160 ft 19M". Which characteristic does the light possess?

    N a. It is visible two nautical miles.
    N b. Its distinguishing number is "19M".
    Y c. It has a red light.
    N d. It flashes once every ten seconds.

320: Sometimes foreign charts are reproduced by NGA (NIMA). On such a chart, a wire-dragged, swept area may be shown in green or __________.

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

337: To predict the actual depth of water using the Tide Tables, the number obtained from the Tide Tables is __________.

    N a. the actual depth
    Y b. added to or subtracted from the charted depth
    N c. multiplied by the charted depth
    N d. divided by the charted depth

346: If your weather bulletin shows the center of a low pressure area to be 100 miles due east of your position, what winds can you expect in the Northern Hemisphere?

    N a. East to northeast
    N b. East to southeast
    Y c. North to northwest
    N d. South to southeast

440: You are inbound in a channel marked by a range. The range line is 309°T. You are steering 306°T. The range appears as shown and is closing. Which action should you take? (D047NG )

    N a. Continue on the present heading until the range is in line, then alter course to the left.
    N b. Immediately alter course to the right to bring the range in line.
    N c. Immediately alter course to 309°T.
    Y d. Continue on course until the range is closed, then alter course to the right.

539: You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 13 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 120°T, 100 miles from your position. The hurricane is moving towards 265°T at 25 knots. What course should you steer at 13 knots to have the maximum CPA?

    Y a. 324°T
    N b. 306°T
    N c. 299°T
    N d. 276°T

558: A buoy bears 176°T at 3000 yards. What is the course to make good to leave the buoy 100 yards to starboard?

    Y a. 174°T
    N b. 176°T
    N c. 178°T
    N d. 180°T

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

645: The arc of an hour circle between the celestial equator and a point on the celestial sphere, measured northward or southward through 90°, is the __________.

    N a. altitude
    Y b. declination
    N c. latitude
    N d. azimuth angle

669: It is desirable that a vessel encountering hurricane or typhoon conditions sends weather reports to the closest meteorological service at least every __________.

    N a. hour
    Y b. 3 hours
    N c. 6 hours
    N d. 8 hours

776: You are navigating in pilotage waters using running fixes. The maximum time between fixes should be about __________.

    N a. 4 hours
    N b. 1 hour
    Y c. 30 minutes
    N d. 5 minutes

799: 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. green can buoy
    N b. red can buoy
    Y c. green conical buoy
    N d. red conical buoy

805: If the right ascension of a body is 9 hours, it also __________.

    Y a. is 135°
    N b. corresponds to an SHA for the body of 45°
    N c. means that the GP of the body is in the western hemisphere
    N d. All of the above

847: On a voyage from Halifax, N.S., to Dakar, West Africa, the Canary Current will __________.

    N a. set the vessel to the left
    Y b. set the vessel to the right
    N c. offer resistance in the form of a head current
    N d. furnish additional thrust in the form of a fair or following current

891: Under the IALA-A Buoyage System, a buoy indicating the preferred channel is to port would have __________.

    N a. an even number
    N b. an odd number
    N c. a pillar shape
    Y d. horizontal bands

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

907: In which month will the equatorial counter current be strongest?

    N a. January
    N b. April
    Y c. August
    N d. October

1170: 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.
    Y b. The sunken wreck southwest of Beito Island shows the hull or superstructure above the sounding datum.
    N c. There is a 12-meter deep hole inside the 5-meter curve just west of Beito Island.
    N d. The position of the lightship is indicated by the center of the star on the symbol's mast.

1209: You are on course 201°T. To check the speed of your vessel you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

    N a. 090°
    N b. 111°
    N c. 180°
    Y d. 201°

1236: After the passage of a cold front the visibility_______. _

    N a. does not change
    Y b. improves rapidly
    N c. improves only slightly
    N d. becomes poor

1477: The wind in the vicinity of Nantucket Shoals Light has been southerly at an average speed of 23 knots. The predicted set and drift of the rotary tidal current are 225° at 0.8 knot. What are the set and drift of the current you can expect at Nantucket Shoals Light?

    N a. 025° at 1.8 knots
    N b. 218° at 1.1 knots
    Y c. 235° at 0.5 knot
    N d. 247° at 0.7 knot

1518: Which publication requires infrequent corrections?

    N a. List of Lights
    N b. Coast Pilot
    Y c. Sailing Directions (Planning Guide)
    N d. Radio Navigational Aids

1532: The position labeled "E" was plotted because __________. (D051NG )

    Y a. a dead reckoning position is plotted for each speed change
    N b. a dead reckoning position is plotted within a half-hour of each course change
    N c. the position is a running fix
    N d. the vessel's position was fixed at 1145

1548: The Illustration shows the symbols used on radio facsimile weather charts. The symbol indicated at letter "K" represents a __________. (D042NG )

    Y a. hurricane
    N b. thunderstorm
    N c. convergence zone
    N d. convergence line

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

1758: The climate of the eastern Gulf coast __________.

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

1788: You can follow the approach of a dangerous cyclonic storm by inspecting __________.

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

1801: A phenomenon where the atmospheric pressure is higher than that of other surrounding regions is called __________.

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

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

1869: The illustration represents a fixed C of E lock and dam. What navigational light(s) is(are) exhibited at the position indicated by the letter B in the illustration? (D036NG )

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

1908: What is the brightest navigational planet?

    N a. Saturn
    N b. Jupiter
    N c. Mars
    Y d. Venus

1934: The great circle of the celestial sphere that passes through the zenith, nadir, and the eastern point of the horizon is the __________.

    N a. principal vertical
    N b. hour circle
    N c. celestial meridian
    Y d. prime vertical

1960: Astronomical refraction causes a celestial body to appear __________.

    N a. to the left of its position in the Northern Hemisphere and to the right in the Southern Hemisphere
    N b. to the right of its position in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
    Y c. higher than its actual position
    N d. lower than its actual position

1962: When outbound from a U.S. port, a buoy displaying a flashing red light indicates __________.

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

2067: The Light List indicates that a light has a nominal range of 10 miles and is 11 feet high. If the visibility is 5 miles and your height of eye is 20 feet, at what approximate distance will you sight the light?

    Y a. 6.3 miles
    N b. 7.4 miles
    N c. 8.4 miles
    N d. 9.0 miles

2124: You must draw a plotting sheet covering latitudes 45°N to 49°N and longitudes 179°E to 178°W. If the distance between latitude 45°N to 49°N is 20 inches, what is the distance between the meridians of 1° of longitude?

    N a. 2.9 inches
    N b. 3.2 inches
    Y c. 3.4 inches
    N d. 3.7 inches

2242: A vessel is heading magnetic north and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 356°. Which action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

    Y a. If the red ends of the magnets are to port you should lower the athwartships tray.
    N b. If the red ends of the magnets are aft you should raise the fore-and-aft tray.
    N c. If the blue ends of the magnets are to port, and the athwartships tray is at the top, you should remove some of the magnets.
    N d. If the blue ends of the magnets are aft you should raise the fore-and-aft tray.

2271: What is the definition of height of tide?

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

2289: The constellation that contains the pointer stars is __________.

    N a. Orion
    Y b. Ursa Major
    N c. the Southern Cross
    N d. Pegasus

2319: In low latitudes, the new Moon will always rise at about __________.

    Y a. sunrise
    N b. 1200 LMT
    N c. sunset
    N d. 2400 LMT

2329: In low latitudes, a last quarter moon will always rise at about __________.

    N a. sunrise
    N b. 1200 LMT
    N c. sunset
    Y d. 2400 LMT

2338: A group of stars which appear close together and form a striking configuration such as a person or animal is a __________.

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

2360: What U.S. agency is responsible for NAVAREA warnings?

    N a. Coast Guard
    N b. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    N c. National Ocean Service
    Y d. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

2434: A vessel is heading magnetic east and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 093°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

    N a. If the red ends of the magnets are aft you should lower the fore-and-aft tray.
    Y b. If the red ends of the magnets are forward, and the fore-and-aft tray is at the bottom, you should remove some magnets.
    N c. If the red ends of the magnets are to port you should raise the athwartships tray.
    N d. If the red ends of the magnets are to port, and the athwartships tray is at the top, you should reverse the magnets.

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

2602: The lunar day is also known as the __________.

    N a. lunitidal interval
    N b. vulgar establishment of the port
    N c. nodal day
    Y d. tidal day

2644: The sidereal day begins __________.

    N a. when the sun is over the first point of Aries
    N b. when the first point of Aries is over 180° longitude
    Y c. when the first point of Aries is over the upper branch of the reference meridian
    N d. at 0000 on 1 January (Sidereal Date)

2649: The letter C in illustration D006NG represents the __________. (D006NG )

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

2676: The place where a channel moves from along one bank of the river over to the other bank of the river is called a __________.

    N a. draft
    N b. cutoff
    N c. draw
    Y d. crossing

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°

2965: Which symbol represents a 10-fathom curve?

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

2979: You take a bearing of 356° of a lighthouse. What bearing of another object would give the best fix?

    N a. 013°
    Y b. 082°
    N c. 176°
    N d. 201°

2998: While navigating in fog off a coastline of steep cliffs, you hear the echo of the ships fog horn 3 1/2 seconds after the signal was sounded. What is the distance to the shore?

    Y a. 640 yards
    N b. 480 yards
    N c. 315 yards
    N d. 143 yards

3115: 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. Destination
    N c. Location of antenna
    N d. None of the above