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.


16: The direction of the surface wind is __________.


28: When using a buoy as an aid to navigation which of the following should be considered?


101: A lighted preferred-channel buoy may show a __________.


118: What describes an accurate position that is NOT based on any prior position?

    N a. Dead-reckoning position
    N b. Estimated position
    Y c. Fix
    N d. Running fix

168: Your vessel is making way through the water at a speed of 12 knots. Your vessel traveled 30 nautical miles in 2 hours 20 minutes. What current are you experiencing?

    N a. A following current at 2.0 knots
    N b. A head current of 2.0 knots
    Y c. A following current of 0.9 knot
    N d. A head current of 0.9 knot

178: You are steering a southerly course, and you note that the chart predicts an easterly current. Without considering wind, how may you allow for the set?

    Y a. Head your vessel slightly to the right
    N b. Head your vessel slightly to the left
    N c. Decrease your speed
    N d. Increase your speed

277: Your vessel goes aground in soft mud. You would have the best chance of refloating it on the next tide if it grounded at __________.

    N a. low water neap
    Y b. low water spring
    N c. high water neap
    N d. high water spring

333: Loran-C stations transmit groups of pulses at specific times. The time interval between transmissions from the master station is the __________.

    N a. coding delay
    Y b. group repetition interval
    N c. pulse interval
    N d. phase code

366: If an observer in the Northern Hemisphere faces the surface wind, the center of low pressure is to his______________.

    N a. left, slightly behind him
    Y b. right, slightly behind him
    N c. left, slightly in front of him
    N d. right, slightly in front of him

389: The edge of a hurricane has overtaken your vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, and the northwest wind of a few hours ago has shifted to the west. This is an indication that you are located in the __________.

    Y a. navigable semicircle
    N b. dangerous semicircle
    N c. low pressure area
    N d. eye of the storm

427: On 23 March 1983, at Kingston Point, NY, what is the earliest time after 1700 EST (ZD +5) that the predicted tide will be +2.0 feet?

    N a. 1730
    N b. 1800
    Y c. 1854
    N d. 2030

430: The southeast trade winds actually blow toward the __________.

    N a. southeast
    N b. south
    N c. east
    Y d. northwest

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

490: You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 10 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 100°T, 90 miles from your position. The hurricane is moving towards 285°T at 19 knots. Which course should you steer at 10 knots to have the maximum CPA?

    N a. 221°
    Y b. 226°
    N c. 233°
    N d. 238°

510: Which aid is NOT marked on a chart with a magenta circle?

    Y a. Aero light
    N b. Radar station
    N c. Radar transponder beacon
    N d. Radio beacon

536: You are enroute from Puerto Rico to New York. A hurricane makes up and is approaching. If the wind veers steadily, this indicates that your vessel is __________.

    Y a. in the dangerous semicircle
    N b. in the navigable semicircle
    N c. directly in the path of the storm
    N d. in the storm center

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

557: Your vessel has a draft of 23 feet. On 23 June 1983 you wish to pass over a temporary obstruction near Beaufort, SC, that has a charted depth of 22 feet. Allowing for a safety margin of 3 feet, what is the earliest time after 1600 DST (ZD +4) that this passage can be made?

    Y a. 1750
    N b. 1815
    N c. 1855
    N d. 1944

565: The letter B as shown represents the __________. (D006NG )

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

597: You will be loading in Boston Harbor to a maximum draft of 32'06". The charted depth of an obstruction in the channel near Boston Light is 30 feet and you wish to have 3 feet of keel clearance. The steaming time from the pier to the obstruction is 01h 05m. What is the latest time (ZD +4) you can sail on 17 May 1983 and meet these requirements?

    N a. 1610
    Y b. 1728
    N c. 1821
    N d. 2350

660: What is the length of a nautical mile?

    N a. 1,850 meters
    N b. 5,280 feet
    N c. 1,760 yards
    Y d. 6,076 feet

680: The apparent wind's speed can be zero, but only when two conditions are present. One condition is that the true __________.

    N a. wind must be on the beam
    N b. wind's speed must be zero
    N c. wind must be from dead ahead
    Y d. wind's speed equals the ship's speed

747: The movement of water away from the shore or downstream is called a(n) __________.

    N a. reversing current
    Y b. ebb current
    N c. flood current
    N d. slack current

821: In addition to monitoring channel 16, all Corps of Engineer locks may use as working channels __________.

    N a. 06, 12 and 22A
    N b. 01A, 05A and 07A
    Y c. 12, 13 and 14
    N d. 14, 24 and 28

846: Weather systems in the middle latitudes generally travel from __________.

    N a. east to west
    N b. north to south
    Y c. west to east
    N d. None of the above

856: The flow of air around an anticyclone in the Southern Hemisphere is __________.

    N a. clockwise and outward
    Y b. counterclockwise and outward
    N c. clockwise and inward
    N d. counterclockwise and inward

894: On a clear, warm day, you notice the approach of a tall cumulus cloud. The cloud top has hard well defined edges and rain is falling from the dark lower edge. Should this cloud pass directly overhead __________.

    Y a. it will be preceded by a sudden increase in wind speed
    N b. it will be preceded by a sudden decrease in wind speed
    N c. the wind speed will not change as it passes
    N d. the wind will back rapidly to left in a counterclockwise direction as it passes

949: In Region A of the IALA Buoyage System, when entering from seaward, the port side of a channel would be marked by a __________.

    N a. black can buoy
    Y b. red can buoy
    N c. black conical buoy
    N d. red conical buoy

994: Which list of clouds is in sequence, from highest to lowest in the sky?

    N a. Altostratus, cirrostratus, stratus
    Y b. Cirrostratus, altostratus, stratus
    N c. Stratus, cirrostratus, altostratus
    N d. Altostratus, stratus, cirrostratus

1057: One of the causes of ocean currents is density differences in the water. This is true because __________.

    N a. in an area of high density the water's surface is lower than in an area of low density
    Y b. surface water flows from an area of high density to one of low density
    N c. the lesser the density gradient the freer the water is to move
    N d. it is the density differences that cause the currents to stay in the troughs

1060: Isobars on a weather map are useful in predicting __________.

    N a. temperature
    N b. dew point
    Y c. wind velocity
    N d. relative humidity

1154: The speed at which an ocean wave system advances is called __________.

    N a. wave length
    N b. ripple length
    Y c. group velocity
    N d. wave velocity

1168: Which type of cloud is indicated by the number 4? (D039NG )

    N a. Altocumulus
    N b. Cirrostratus
    N c. Cumulus
    Y d. Altostratus

1188: The magnitude of three stars is indicated. Which star is the brightest?

    N a. Antares + 1.2
    N b. Altair + 0.9
    Y c. Vega + 0.1
    N d. Cannot be determined; magnitude indicates size not brightness

1197: Off Fire Island, NY with winds from the southwest, the average wind-driven current flows in a direction of __________.

    N a. 014°
    Y b. 076°
    N c. 170°
    N d. 256°

1254: Lighted white and orange buoys must show which color light?

    N a. Orange
    Y b. White
    N c. Red
    N d. Alternating yellow and white

1319: The Sailing Directions (Planning Guide) contain information on all of the following EXCEPT __________.

    Y a. coastal features
    N b. ocean basin environment
    N c. ocean routes
    N d. military operating areas

1439: The symbols shown are used on radio facsimile weather charts. The symbol indicated at letter "G" represents a __________. (D042NG )

    N a. weather boundary
    N b. thunderstorm
    N c. wide spread sandstorm
    Y d. severe, line squall

1464: A line of position derived from a loran reading is a section of a(n) __________.

    N a. straight line
    N b. arc
    N c. parabola
    Y d. hyperbola

1488: What defines a great circle?

    N a. A curved line drawn on a Mercator Chart
    N b. A course line that inscribes a loxodromic curve
    Y c. The shortest distance between any two points on the earth
    N d. The smallest circle that can be drawn on the face of a sphere

1558: As a high pressure system approaches, the barometer reading __________.

    N a. stays the same
    N b. falls
    Y c. rises
    N d. falls rapidly

1602: Most modern Loran-C receivers automatically detect secondary station blink which __________.

    N a. indicates the station is transmitting normally
    N b. automatically shuts down the receiver
    Y c. triggers alarm indicators to warn the operator
    N d. causes the receiver to shift automatically to another Loran chain

1633: To find a magnetic compass course from a true course you must apply __________.

    Y a. deviation and variation
    N b. deviation
    N c. variation
    N d. magnetic anomalies (local disturbances)

1648: A sign of thunderstorm development is a cumulus cloud __________.

    N a. darkening, growing in size and forming an anvil top
    N b. that shows extensive vertical development
    N c. creating cold downdrafts that are felt on the ground
    Y d. All of the above

1661: Advection fog may be formed by warm moist air passing over a __________.

    N a. warmer sea surface
    Y b. cooler sea surface
    N c. dry coastal plain
    N d. polar land mass

1715: The hurricane season generally occurs from __________.

    N a. August to January
    N b. July to December
    Y c. June to November
    N d. January to June

1726: How can you estimate the position of a tropical storm's center?

    N a. With a radio weather bulletin or weather fax
    N b. using shipboard radar
    N c. observe the wind direction and apply Buys Ballot's law
    Y d. All of the above

1859: While proceeding downriver (descending) you sight a red diamond-shaped panel with small, red reflector squares in each corner on the left bank. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers this is a __________.

    N a. special purpose signal
    N b. passing daymark
    Y c. crossing daymark
    N d. cable crossing

1904: In the horizon system of coordinates what is equivalent to the parallels of declination of the celestial equator system?

    N a. Vertical circles
    Y b. Parallels of altitude
    N c. Zenith distance
    N d. Azimuth angle

1908: What is the brightest navigational planet?

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

1916: The prime vertical is the reference point from which the angle of which type of observation is measured?

    N a. Sextant angle
    N b. Azimuth
    Y c. Amplitude
    N d. Local apparent noon

2229: A vessel is heading magnetic north and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 003°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

    Y a. If the red ends are to port the athwartships magnets should be raised.
    N b. If the blue ends are to port the athwartships magnets should be raised.
    N c. If the red ends are forward the fore-and-aft magnets should be lowered.
    N d. If the blue ends are forward the fore-and-aft magnets should be raised.

2439: Which statement about the time diagram in illustration D008NG is TRUE? (D008NG )

    Y a. You are in east longitude.
    N b. The Sun is setting for you.
    N c. Your date is different from the Greenwich date.
    N d. The GHA is approximately 160°.

2489: You are approaching a drawbridge and must pass through during a scheduled closure period. What signal should you sound?

    Y a. Five short blasts
    N b. Two prolonged, two short blasts
    N c. Three prolonged blasts
    N d. Three short blasts, two prolonged blasts

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

2589: Under the IALA cardinal system, a mark with a quick white light showing 6 flashes followed by one long flash indicates that the safest water is on the __________.

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

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

2945: A position that is obtained by applying estimated current and wind to your vessel's course and speed is a(n) __________.

    Y a. estimated position
    N b. dead reckoning position
    N c. fix
    N d. None of the above

3095: ECDIS must have the capability to preserve the record of the track for the previous __________.

    N a. 6 hours
    Y b. 12 hours
    N c. 18 hours
    N d. 24 hours

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