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.


175: On 5 July 1981, at 1200 zone time, you cross the 180th meridian steaming westward. What is your local time?


179: You are proceeding up a channel at night. It is marked by a range which bears 185°T. You steady up on a compass course of 180° with the range in line dead ahead. This indicates that you(r) __________.


193: In using Loran-C, skywave reception gives greater range but is __________.


249: When using GPS, how many theoretical position lines are required for a three-dimensional fix that takes into account altitude?

    N a. 1
    N b. 2
    N c. 3
    Y d. 4

253: Loran-C is which type of system?

    N a. Reflected electron
    N b. Electrical radiation
    N c. Quarterpoint electrical navigation
    Y d. Hyperbolic radio navigation

261: You are heading out to sea in a buoyed channel and see a quick-flashing green light on a buoy ahead of you. In U.S. waters, you should leave the buoy __________.

    N a. well clear on either side
    N b. about 50 yards off on either side
    N c. to port
    Y d. to starboard

367: What will be the time after 0800 EST (ZD +5) that the height of the tide at South Freeport, ME, will be 6.0 feet (1.8 meters) on 7 November 1983?

    N a. 0936
    N b. 0942
    Y c. 0951
    N d. 1001

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

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

591: White lights may be found on __________.

    N a. special purpose buoys
    N b. preferred channel buoys
    Y c. information and regulatory buoys
    N d. numbered buoys

664: Which ARPA data should you use in order to determine if a close quarters situation will develop with a target vessel?

    N a. Set and drift of the current
    Y b. Relative track information
    N c. Predicted time of CPA
    N d. Initial range of acquisition

689: What is the index error of sextant C? (D050NG )

    Y a. 0'20" on the arc
    N b. 1'00" on the arc
    N c. 2'00" on the arc
    N d. 5'10" on the arc

702: Which publication contains information on navigation regulations, landmarks, channels, anchorages, tides, currents, and clearances of bridges for Chesapeake Bay?

    Y a. Coast Pilot
    N b. Light List
    N c. Sailing Directions
    N d. Pilot Charts

718: You are to sail from Elizabethport, NJ, on 22 May 1983 with a maximum draft of 28 feet. You will pass over an obstruction in the channel near Sandy Hook that has a charted depth of 27 feet. The steaming time from Elizabethport to the obstruction is 1h 40m. What is the earliest time (ZD +4) you can sail on the afternoon of 22 May and pass over the obstruction with 3 feet of clearance?

    Y a. 1407
    N b. 1331
    N c. 1303
    N d. 1242

756: What is a common unit of measure for atmospheric pressure?

    N a. centimeters
    Y b. Inches
    N c. Degrees
    N d. Feet

770: You are plotting a running fix in an area where there is a determinable current. How should this current be treated in determining the position?

    Y a. The course and speed made good should be determined and used to advance the LOP.
    N b. The drift should be added to the ship's speed.
    N c. The current should be ignored.
    N d. The set should be applied to the second bearing.

772: You are hove to in a hurricane on a heading of 328°T. The wind is from 030° true at 119 knots. How should this be encoded on the weather report form under Nddff. (D041NG )

    N a. 80312
    N b. 83011
    N c. 83099
    Y d. 80399

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

893: One point of a compass is equal to how many degrees?

    N a. 7.5
    Y b. 11.25
    N c. 17.5
    N d. 22.5

908: From LAT 07°12'N, LONG 80°00'W, to LAT 47°12'S, LONG 169°18'E, the initial great circle course angle is 137.25°. How would you name this course?

    N a. N 137.25°E
    N b. S 137.25°E
    Y c. N 137.25°W
    N d. S 137.25°W

910: The Light List shows that a navigational light has a nominal range of 12 miles and a height above water of 25 feet (7.6 meters). Your height of eye is 38 feet (11.6 meters) and the visibility is 5.5 miles. At what approximate range will you FIRST sight the light?

    N a. 5.5 miles
    N b. 6.3 miles
    Y c. 8.0 miles
    N d. 12.0 miles

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

938: If within 500 yards (460m) of a Northern Right Whale you are lawfully obligated to __________.

    N a. turn away from the whale and leave at full speed
    Y b. turn away from the whale and leave at slow speed
    N c. slow to bare steerageway until the whale swims away
    N d. stop the vessel and sound repeated blasts on the ship's whistle to scare the whale away

1000: 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 )

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

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//

1098: A chart position enclosed by a square is a(n) __________.

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

1146: What is true about a front?

    N a. A front is a boundary between two air masses.
    N b. There are abrupt temperature differences on opposite sides of a front.
    N c. The pressure tendencies are different on opposite sides of a front.
    Y d. All of the above

1174: Your vessel is enroute from Japan to Seattle and is located at position I on the weather map. You should experience which weather condition? (D013NG )

    N a. Clear skies with warm temperatures
    N b. Steady precipitation
    N c. Overcast skies with rising temperature
    Y d. Thundershowers

1335: Plain language is usually used on marine weather __________.

    Y a. forecasts
    N b. observations
    N c. analyses
    N d. reports

1385: What is the length of the lunar day?

    Y a. 24h 50m 00s
    N b. 24h 00m 00s
    N c. 23h 56m 04s
    N d. 23h 03m 56s

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'

1666: The process by which the temperature and/or moisture characteristics of an air mass changes is called __________.

    N a. sublimation or condensation
    Y b. modification
    N c. consolidation
    N d. association

1720: In the Southern Hemisphere winds in a low pressure system rotate in a __________.

    Y a. clockwise direction
    N b. northeasterly direction
    N c. northerly direction
    N d. counterclockwise direction

1731: When your vessel is on or near the path of an approaching tropical storm the __________.

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

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

1806: Sometimes foreign charts are reproduced by NGA (NIMA). On such a chart a wire dragged (swept) area may be shown in purple or __________.

    Y a. green
    N b. red
    N c. magenta
    N d. yellow

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°

1908: What is the brightest navigational planet?

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

2007: Information about the direction and velocity of rotary tidal currents is found in the __________.

    N a. Mariner's Guide
    Y b. Tidal Current Tables
    N c. Nautical Almanac
    N d. Tide Tables

2010: A vessel heading ESE is on a course of __________.

    Y a. 112.5°
    N b. 135.0°
    N c. 157.5°
    N d. 180.0°

2080: You are on course 030°T. The relative bearing of a lighthouse is 45°. What is the true bearing?

    N a. 015°
    Y b. 075°
    N c. 255°
    N d. 345°

2152: Permanent magnetism is found in __________.

    Y a. hard iron
    N b. soft iron
    N c. vertical iron only
    N d. horizontal iron only

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.

2236: Which is TRUE of a downbound power-driven vessel, when meeting an upbound vessel on the Western Rivers?

    N a. She has the right of way.
    N b. She shall propose the manner of passage.
    N c. She shall initiate the maneuvering signals.
    Y d. All of the above

2251: Which statement concerning the chartlet shown is TRUE? (Soundings and heights are in meters) (D010NG )

    N a. Maury lightship is visible for 17 miles.
    N b. The bottom to the south-southeast of the lightship is soft coral.
    Y c. There is a dangerous eddy southeast of Beito Island.
    N d. There is a 12-meter deep west of Beito Island and inside the 5-meter line.

2344: The Moon is subject to four types of libration. Which of the following is NOT one of these types of libration?

    N a. Libration in latitude
    N b. Diurnal libration
    N c. Physical libration
    Y d. Horizontal libration

2375: The shortest distance between any two points on earth defines a __________.

    N a. small circle
    Y b. great circle
    N c. rhumb line
    N d. hyperbola

2378: Which light signal indicates that you may approach the lock?

    N a. Flashing red
    Y b. Flashing amber
    N c. Steady amber
    N d. Steady green

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.

2666: The following boats are approaching a lock. Which has priority for locking?

    N a. An 85-foot yacht
    Y b. Corps of Engineer towboat running empty-headed
    N c. "Delta Queen" (passenger vessel)
    N d. An integrated chemical tow

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

2800: Where is the pivot point of a towboat with a tow ahead?

    N a. One-third the length of the combined unit forward of the towboat
    Y b. One-third the length of the combined unit back from the head
    N c. At the head of the towboat
    N d. One-half the length of the combined unit

2876: On 13 November 1981 you observe a back sight of the lower limb of the Sun. The sextant altitude (hs) is 109°23.6'. The height of eye is 66 feet, and the index error is 2.0' off the arc. What is the observed altitude (Ho)?

    N a. 71°01.2'
    Y b. 70°57.2'
    N c. 70°45.4
    N d. 70°26.4'

2968: Some locations maintain a zone time of -13. What are the zone time and date if the Greenwich time and date are 0152, 10 January?

    N a. 0052, 9 January
    N b. 0258, 9 January
    Y c. 1452, 10 January
    N d. 0052, 11 January

2988: The buoy indicated by the letter A is a __________. (D044NG )

    N a. nun
    Y b. can
    N c. spar
    N d. pillar

3007: A rotary current sets through all directions of the compass. The time it takes to complete one of these cycles, in a locale off the East coast of the US, is approximately __________.

    N a. 2 1/2 hours
    N b. 3 1/2 hours
    N c. 6 1/4 hours
    Y d. 12 1/2 hours

3013: A white buoy with an orange rectangle on it displays __________.

    Y a. directions
    N b. dangers
    N c. exclusion areas
    N d. All of the above

3021: Which information is found in the chart title?

    N a. Chart number
    Y b. Chart sounding datum
    N c. Revision and edition date
    N d. Variation information

3106: What does an automatic identification system (AIS) transponder use to transmit and receive information broadcasts?

    N a. 3000 Mhz and 9200 Mhz
    N b. 2182 Khz and 2187.5 Khz
    Y c. 156.525 Mhz, 161.975 Mhz and 162.025 Mhz
    N d. 1575.42 Mhz and 1227.6 Mhz

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