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.


71: A preferred-channel buoy may be __________.


86: A weather forecast states that the wind will commence backing. In the Northern Hemisphere, this would indicate that it will __________.


100: You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 12 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 080°T, 100 miles from your position. The hurricane is moving towards 265°T at 22 knots. What course should you steer at 12 knots to have the maximum CPA?


113: The type of transmission used in Loran-C is a __________.

    N a. single pulse
    N b. wide pulse
    Y c. multipulse
    N d. narrow pulse

152: A chart with a natural scale of 1:160,000 is classified as a __________.

    N a. sailing chart
    Y b. general chart
    N c. coast chart
    N d. harbor chart

208: The moon is full and at perigee on 20 January 1983. What is the maximum current you could expect at 2350 (ZD +5) at Nantucket Shoals?

    N a. 0.5 knot
    N b. 0.7 knot
    N c. 0.8 knot
    Y d. 1.0 knot

341: Buoys which only mark the left or right side of the channel will never exhibit a light with which characteristic?

    N a. Flashing
    N b. Quick flashing
    Y c. Composite group flashing
    N d. Equal interval (isophase)

349: The direction of the southeast trade winds is a result of the __________.

    N a. equatorial current
    N b. humidity
    Y c. rotation of the earth
    N d. change of seasons

371: Which buoy may be odd numbered?

    N a. Mid-channel buoy
    N b. Unlighted nun buoy
    Y c. Lighted green buoy
    N d. All of the above

462: For what purpose would using a Lambert conformal chart be more convenient than using a Mercator?

    Y a. Plotting radio bearings over a long distance
    N b. Determining latitude and longitude of a fix
    N c. Measuring rhumb line distances
    N d. Measuring rhumb line directions

482: Which statement about a gnomonic chart is correct?

    N a. A rhumb line appears as a straight line.
    N b. Distance is measured at the mid-latitude of the track line.
    N c. Meridians appear as curved lines converging toward the nearer pole.
    Y d. Parallels, except the equator, appear as curved lines.

499: Which of the symbols shown represents an occluded front? (D018NG )

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

577: Your vessel has a draft of 24 feet. On 7 April 1983 you wish to pass over a temporary obstruction near Lovell Island, MA, that has a charted depth of 22 feet. Allowing for a safety margin of 3.1 feet under your keel, what is the earliest time after 0100 EST (ZD +5) that this passage can be made?

    N a. 0248
    N b. 0304
    Y c. 0342
    N d. 0356

578: At about GMT 1436, on 3 December 1981, the lower limb of the Moon is observed with a sextant having an index error of 2.5' on the arc. The height of eye is 32 feet. The sextant altitude (hs) is 3°38.8'. What is the observed altitude?

    N a. Ho 4°18.6'
    Y b. Ho 4°29.1'
    N c. Ho 4°36.3'
    N d. Ho 4°42.2'

642: Which government agency publishes the U.S. Coast Pilot?

    N a. Army Corps of Engineers
    N b. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
    Y c. National Ocean Service
    N d. U.S. Coast Guard

653: You have been observing your radar screen and notice that a contact on the screen has remained in the same position, relative to you, for several minutes. Your vessel is making 10 knots through the water. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. The contact is dead in the water.
    Y b. The contact is on the same course and speed as your vessel.
    N c. The contact is on a reciprocal course at the same speed as your vessel.
    N d. The radar is showing false echoes and is probably defective.

800: You are to sail from Elizabethport, NJ, on 17 November 1983 with a maximum draft of 27 feet. You will pass over an obstruction in the channel near Sandy Hook that has a charted depth of 26 feet. The steaming time from Elizabethport to the obstruction is 1h 50m. What is the earliest time (ZD +5) you can sail on 17 November and pass over the obstruction with 2 feet of clearance?

    Y a. 0056
    N b. 0124
    N c. 0154
    N d. 0218

802: Which is a weekly publication advising mariners of important matters affecting navigational safety?

    N a. Light List
    Y b. Notice to Mariners
    N c. Coast Pilot
    N d. Sailing Directions

818: Ocean swells originating from a typhoon can move ahead of it at speeds near __________.

    N a. 10 knots
    N b. 20 knots
    N c. 30 knots
    Y d. 50 knots

875: Sidereal hour angle is always __________.

    N a. measured westward from the hour circle containing the first point of Aries
    N b. measured from the point on the celestial sphere occupied by the Sun at the vernal equinox
    N c. subtracted from the LHA of the star to obtain the LHA of Aries
    Y d. All of the above

935: The Light List shows that a navigational light has a nominal range of 5 miles and a height above water of 21 feet (6.4 meters). Your height of eye is 32 feet (9.8 meters) and the visibility is 1.0 mile. At what approximate range will you first sight the light?

    N a. 1.0 mile
    Y b. 1.5 miles
    N c. 5.0 miles
    N d. 11.7 miles

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

981: The characteristic of a lighted cardinal mark may be __________.

    Y a. very quick flashing
    N b. flashing
    N c. fixed
    N d. occulting

1022: What is the approximate geographic range of Fenwick Island Light, Delaware, if your height of eye is 37 feet (11.6 meters)? Refer to "Reprints from the LIGHT LISTS AND COAST PILOTS" .

    N a. 24.8 nm
    Y b. 17.8 nm
    N c. 15.9 nm
    N d. 10.3 nm

1066: The slope of a warm front is about __________.

    N a. 1 mile vertically to 10 miles horizontally
    N b. 1 mile vertically to 50 miles horizontally
    Y c. 1 mile vertically to 150 miles horizontally
    N d. 1 mile vertically to 500 miles horizontally

1074: As the temperature for a given mass of air increases, the __________.

    N a. dew point increases
    N b. dew point decreases
    N c. relative humidity increases
    Y d. relative humidity decreases

1110: To make sure of getting the full advantage of a favorable current, you should reach an entrance or strait at what time in relation to the predicted time of the favorable current?

    N a. At the predicted time
    Y b. 30 minutes before the predicted time
    N c. One hour after the predicted time
    N d. 30 minutes before flood, one hour after an ebb

1121: The articulated light is superior to other types of buoys because __________.

    N a. the radar reflectors reflect better signals
    N b. fog horn signals travel farther to sea
    N c. it is equipped with strobe lights
    Y d. it has a reduced watch circle

1129: The motion of celestial bodies relative to other celestial bodies is known as __________.

    Y a. space motion
    N b. apparent motion
    N c. diurnal motion
    N d. actual motion

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

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

1343: Variation is a compass error that you __________.

    N a. can correct by adjusting the compass card
    N b. can correct by adjusting the compensating magnets
    N c. can correct by changing the vessel's heading
    Y d. cannot correct

1489: Cumulonimbus clouds can produce __________.

    N a. dense fog and high humidity
    Y b. gusty winds, thunder, rain or hail, and lightning
    N c. clear skies with the approach of a cold front
    N d. a rapid drop in barometric pressure followed by darkness

1557: A Doppler log in the volume reverberation mode indicates __________.

    N a. speed being made good
    Y b. speed through the water
    N c. the set of the current
    N d. the depth of the water

1596: You are sailing south on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) when you sight a red nun buoy with a yellow square painted on it. Which of the following is TRUE?

    Y a. You should leave the buoy on your port hand.
    N b. This buoy marks the end of the ICW in that geographic area.
    N c. The yellow is retroreflective material used to assist in sighting the buoy at night.
    N d. The yellow square is in error and it should be a yellow triangle.

1601: Sextant B in illustration D043NG reads __________. (D043NG )

    N a. 30°51.0'
    Y b. 30°42.5'
    N c. 30°47.5'
    N d. 31°00.0'

1623: Which of the following statements is FALSE?

    N a. An anemometer measures wind speed.
    N b. A barometer measures atmospheric pressure.
    N c. A thermometer measures temperature.
    Y d. A psychrometer measures wind pressure.

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

1745: When your vessel is on the storm track but behind the storm's center the __________.

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

1870: A vessel heading SW is on a course of __________.

    N a. 202.5°
    Y b. 225.0°
    N c. 247.5°
    N d. 270.0°

1888: What is the relative bearing of an object broad on the starboard bow?

    N a. 030°
    Y b. 045°
    N c. 060°
    N d. 075°

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

2244: Capella is found in what constellation?

    N a. Gemini
    Y b. Auriga
    N c. Libra
    N d. Crab

2274: A vessel is heading magnetic east and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 086°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

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

2274: A vessel is heading magnetic east and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 086°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

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

2341: Which statement concerning illustration D010NG is correct? (Soundings and heights are in meters)

    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.
    Y c. The sunken wreck southwest of Beito Island shows the hull or superstructure above the sounding datum.
    N d. There is a 12-meter deep hole inside the 5-meter curve just west of Beito Island.

2351: A position obtained by applying ONLY your vessel's course and speed to a known position is a __________.

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

2353: A single line of position combined with a dead-reckoning position results in a(n) __________.

    Y a. estimated position
    N b. assumed position
    N c. fix
    N d. running fix

2472: The Sun is closest to the Earth in what month?

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

2488: In which publication could you find information concerning the minimum lighting required for bridges on U.S. waters?

    N a. Chart No. 1.
    Y b. Code of Federal Regulations
    N c. Mississippi River Systems Light List
    N d. Notice to Mariners

2492: A star that suddenly becomes several magnitudes brighter and then gradually fades is a __________.

    N a. double star
    N b. variable star
    Y c. nova
    N d. nebula

2538: The light characteristic of composite group flashing (2 + 1) is used in the Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers for lights on __________.

    N a. the right descending bank
    N b. the left descending bank
    Y c. preferred-channel buoys
    N d. daymarks with no lateral significance

2566: When the time is based on the movement of the visible Sun along the ecliptic the time is known as __________.

    N a. real time
    N b. visible time
    Y c. apparent time
    N d. mean time

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

2668: You are approaching a drawbridge and have sounded the request-for-opening signal. The bridge has responded with five short blasts. What reply should you sound?

    N a. None; No reply is required
    Y b. Five short blasts
    N c. Two prolonged blasts
    N d. One prolonged, one short blast

2721: You are plotting a running fix. How many fixed objects are needed to take your lines of position from?

    Y a. One
    N b. Two
    N c. Three
    N d. None

2764: You are in a channel inbound from sea. A daymark used to mark a channel junction when the preferred channel is to port will have the shape indicated by what letter in illustration D045NG?

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

3011: The survey information upon which a chart is based is found __________.

    N a. at the top center of the next line
    Y b. near the chart title
    N c. at the lower left corner
    N d. at any convenient location

3022: A green-and-red banded daymark, green band uppermost, will have the shape shown at letter __________. (D045NG )

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

3108: Automatic identification systems (AIS) are expected to broadcast all of the following information EXCEPT __________.

    N a. navigation status
    N b. ship's heading
    Y c. port of origin
    N d. time stamp