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.


103: In Loran-C the high accuracy of atomic time and frequency controls allows each station to operate __________.


130: The distance between the surface of the water and the tidal datum is the __________.


134: The recording fathometer produces a graphic record of the __________.


151: Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, spherical buoys may be __________.

    N a. numbered
    Y b. lettered
    N c. lighted
    N d. All of the above

172: A chart with a scale of 1:45,000 is a __________.

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

220: At 0000 you fix your position and plot a new DR track line. At 0200 you again fix your position and it is 0.5 mile east of your DR. Which statement is TRUE?

    N a. The current is westerly at 0.5 knot.
    N b. You must increase speed to compensate for the current.
    N c. The current cannot be determined.
    Y d. The drift is 0.25 knot.

242: The difference between the heights of low and high tide is the __________.

    Y a. range
    N b. period
    N c. depth
    N d. distance

301: In the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, lateral aids as seen entering from seaward will display lights with which characteristic?

    N a. Flashing
    N b. Occulting
    N c. Quick Flashing
    Y d. All of the above

342: A polyconic projection is based on a __________.

    N a. plane tangent at one point
    N b. cylinder tangent at one parallel
    N c. cone tangent at one parallel
    Y d. series of cones tangent at selected parallels

394: An instrument designed to maintain a continuous record of atmospheric pressure is a(n) __________.

    N a. mercurial barometer
    N b. aneroid barometer
    Y c. barograph
    N d. thermograph

445: The values of the Greenwich hour angle and declination, tabulated in all almanacs, are for the __________.

    N a. upper limb of a celestial body
    N b. lower limb of a celestial body
    Y c. centers of the various celestial bodies
    N d. lower limb of the Sun and Moon; center of the stars and planets

471: Yellow lights may appear on __________.

    Y a. special purpose buoys
    N b. vertically-striped buoys
    N c. horizontally-banded buoys
    N d. spherical buoys

524: An anemometer on a moving vessel measures __________.

    Y a. apparent wind speed only
    N b. true wind speed and true wind direction
    N c. true wind speed only
    N d. apparent wind speed and true wind direction

661: Under the IALA Buoyage Systems, safe water marks may show a __________.

    N a. composite group-flashing, Fl(2 + 1), red light
    N b. composite group-flashing, Fl(2 + 1), green light
    N c. quick-flashing, Q(9)15s, white light
    Y d. white Morse (A) light

666: In the Northern Hemisphere, your vessel is believed to be in the direct path of a hurricane, and plenty of sea room is available. The best course of action is to bring the wind on the __________.

    N a. starboard bow, note the course, and head in that direction
    Y b. starboard quarter, note the course, and head in that direction
    N c. port quarter, note the course, and head in that direction
    N d. port bow, note the course, and head in that direction

707: Set of the current is __________.

    N a. its velocity in knots
    N b. direction from which it flows
    N c. estimated current
    Y d. direction towards which it flows

727: What is an ebb current?

    N a. A current at minimum flow
    N b. A current coming in
    Y c. A current going out
    N d. A current at maximum flow

734: You are approaching Chatham Strait from the south in foggy weather. You have Coronation Island and Hazy Islands on the radar. Suddenly the radar malfunctions. You then resort to using whistle echoes to determine your distance off Coronation Island. Your stopwatch reads 16.3 seconds for the echo to be heard. How far are you off Coronation Island?

    N a. 1.0 mile
    Y b. 1.5 miles
    N c. 2.0 miles
    N d. 2.5 miles

742: You are preparing to take a tow from San Diego to Portland, OR. Good seamanship would require that you have on board, available for reference and use, all of the following EXCEPT the __________.

    N a. Coast Pilot
    N b. harbor and coastal charts for ports of refuge enroute
    Y c. Sailing Directions (Enroute)
    N d. Light List

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

851: You would expect to find channels marked with the IALA-A Buoyage System in __________.

    N a. the Philippines
    Y b. Australia
    N c. Republic of Korea
    N d. Chile

901: Under the IALA-A Buoyage System, a buoy indicating that the preferred channel is to port when entering from seaward, can have a __________.

    N a. can shape
    N b. group-flashing (2) light
    N c. red-and-green vertical stripes
    Y d. green light

932: To find the specific phase characteristic of a lighthouse on a sound of the United States you would use the __________.

    N a. American Practical Navigator
    Y b. Light List
    N c. Nautical Chart Catalog
    N d. U.S. Coast Pilot

1029: Which would be the subject of a NAVAREA warning?

    N a. A drifting buoy sighted in mid-ocean
    N b. Extinguishment of Wolf Trap Light located inside Chesapeake Bay
    N c. All military exercises on the high seas involving four or more vessels
    Y d. Off-air times of radio beacons when scheduled for routine maintenance

1031: While steaming north of the Irish coast, you sight a buoy which shows the light rhythm shown in illustration D028NG. How would you pass this buoy? (D028NG )

    N a. North of the buoy
    Y b. East of the buoy
    N c. South of the buoy
    N d. West of the buoy

1181: An occulting light is one in which __________.

    N a. the period of darkness exceeds the period of light
    N b. there is only a partial eclipse of the light
    N c. the periods of light and darkness are equal
    Y d. the period of light exceeds the period of darkness

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)

1354: A ship is in longitude 54°00'W on a true course of 090°. The ship's clocks are on the proper time zone. At what longitude should the clocks be changed to maintain the proper zone time?

    N a. 45°00'W
    Y b. 52°30'W
    N c. 60°00'W
    N d. 67°30'W

1401: The maximum distance at which a light may be seen under existing visibility conditions is called __________.

    N a. nominal range
    Y b. luminous range
    N c. charted range
    N d. geographic range

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

1554: A slow rise in the barometric pressure forecasts __________.

    N a. rainy weather for the next 48 hours
    N b. high seas
    Y c. improving weather conditions
    N d. deteriorating weather conditions

1694: In the Southern Hemisphere the wind circulation in a high pressure system rotates __________.

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

1699: In the Northern Hemisphere, when the center of a high pressure system is due east of your position, you can expect winds from the __________.

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

1790: A Doppler speed log indicates speed through the water __________.

    N a. at all times
    N b. in the bottom return mode
    Y c. in the volume reverberation mode
    N d. only when there is no current

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

2028: Which stock number indicates an NGA (NIMA) chart designed for navigation and anchorage in a small waterway?

    N a. WOAZC17
    N b. LCORR5876
    Y c. 15XHA15883
    N d. PILOT55

2053: When outbound from a U.S. port, a buoy displaying a flashing red light indicates __________.

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

2115: Vessels regularly navigating rivers above Cairo, Illinois, shall at all times have on board a copy of __________.

    Y a. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulations (Blue Book)
    N b. Light List Vol. V
    N c. U.S. Coast Pilot
    N d. None of the above

2127: Diagram number D037NG 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?

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

2129: Diagram number D037NG 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?

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

2183: Diagram number D037NG 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 D if the lock walls and piers are not awash?

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

2183: Diagram number D037NG 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 D if the lock walls and piers are not awash?

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

2215: You are required to enter a lock on your voyage. Information on the lock regulations, signals, and radio communications can be found in __________.

    N a. the publication "Key to the Locks"
    N b. Bowditch
    N c. Corps of Engineers Information Bulletin
    Y d. Coast Pilot

2219: A vessel is heading magnetic northwest and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 317°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

    Y a. If the quadrantal spheres are in as far as possible replace them with larger spheres.
    N b. If the quadrantal spheres are in as far as possible replace them with smaller spheres.
    N c. If the quadrantal spheres are in as far as possible move the quadrantal spheres out.
    N d. If the spheres are in as far as possible remove one of the spheres.

2226: Upper limb observations of the Moon are used more frequently than those of the Sun because of the location of the Moon in the sky and the __________.

    N a. lesser distance between the Earth and the Moon
    Y b. phase of the Moon
    N c. rapid change in declination of the Moon
    N d. effects of augmentation and horizontal parallax

2252: The vertical angle between the horizontal and the magnetic line of force is the __________.

    N a. elevation
    N b. magnetic angle
    N c. vertical angle
    Y d. dip

2258: The primary use of apparent time in marine navigation is to __________.

    N a. calculate sunrise or sunset
    N b. determine zone time
    N c. enter an almanac
    Y d. determine the time of meridian transit

2322: You have completed the magnetic compass adjustments on magnetic east and magnetic south. The vessel is now steady on magnetic north but the compass reads 356°. Which action should be taken?

    N a. Use the fore-and-aft magnets and adjust the compass until it reads 358°.
    Y b. Use the athwartships magnets and adjust the compass until it reads 358°.
    N c. Use the fore-and-aft magnets and adjust the compass until it reads 000°.
    N d. Use the quadrantal spheres and adjust the compass until it reads 000°.

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

2529: A bridge over a navigable waterway is being repaired. There is a traveler platform under the bridge's deck that significantly reduces the vertical clearance. If required by the CG district commander, how will this be indicated at night?

    N a. Illumination by flood lights
    Y b. A quick flashing red light at each lower corner
    N c. A strobe light visible both up and downstream
    N d. Fixed amber lights under the extreme outer edges of the traveler

2684: The maximum difference between mean time and apparent time is __________.

    N a. equal to the longitude expressed in time units
    Y b. about 16 minutes
    N c. the difference between the GHA of mean sun and the first point of Aries
    N d. 15° of arc

2746: What is used to measure wind velocity?

    N a. Psychrometer
    N b. Barometer
    N c. Wind sock
    Y d. Anemometer

2838: You take a bearing of 191° and 313° to two objects. Which bearing of a third object will give the best fix?

    N a. 001°
    Y b. 069°
    N c. 209°
    N d. 356°

2899: 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°
    N b. 073°
    N c. 192°
    Y d. 309°

2925: A single line of position combined with a dead-reckoning position results in a(n) __________.

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

3014: Given are the courses and speeds of 4 vessels. The navigator of which vessel would be required to know the actual time of meridian transit in order to take an accurate observation at LAN?

    N a. C 356°T, Sp 5.5 knots
    Y b. C 162°T, Sp 27 knots
    N c. C 095°T, Sp 30 knots
    N d. C 268°T, Sp 22 knots

3080: Which feature, when set to zero, might allow a GPS unit to have an accuracy equivalent to Precise Positioning Service receiver capability?

    N a. Transit
    Y b. Selective Availability
    N c. Auto-correlation
    N d. Anti-spoofing

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