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.


80: When the moon is at first quarter or third quarter phase, what type of tides will occur?


109: While proceeding along the Norwegian coast on course 039°T, you sight the black-yellow-black banded buoy shown bearing 053°T. What action should you take? (D021NG )


124: An electronic depth finder operates on the principle that __________.


135: The standard meridian for the time zone +1 is __________.

    N a. 0°
    N b. 7 1/2°W
    Y c. 15°W
    N d. 7 1/2°E

140: 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. If you maneuver at 12 knots to avoid the hurricane, what could be the maximum CPA?

    N a. 76 miles
    N b. 69 miles
    Y c. 63 miles
    N d. 56 miles

235: When the equation of time is taken from the Nautical Almanac for use in celestial navigation, it is used to determine __________.

    N a. zone time
    N b. sunrise
    Y c. time of local apparent noon
    N d. local mean time

269: The wind at Frying Pan shoals has been south-southwesterly at an average velocity of 30 knots. The predicted set and drift of the rotary current are 232° at 0.8 knot. What current should you expect?

    N a. 065° at 1.2 knots
    N b. 092° at 1.3 knots
    N c. 139° at 0.6 knot
    Y d. 224° at 0.4 knot

271: Your vessel is leaving New York harbor in dense fog. As the vessel slowly proceeds toward sea, you sight a green can buoy on the starboard bow. Which action should you take?

    N a. Turn hard right to get back into the channel.
    N b. Pass the buoy close to, leaving it to your port.
    N c. Stop and fix your position.
    Y d. Stand on, leaving the buoy to your starboard.

295: The difference (measured in degrees) between the GHA of the body and the longitude of the observer is the __________.

    N a. right ascension
    Y b. meridian angle
    N c. SHA of the observer
    N d. zenith distance

313: The Loran-C receiver __________.

    N a. is not affected by interference
    N b. can be used at any distance with accuracy
    Y c. can be affected by interference
    N d. is reliable only from sunrise to sunset

359: You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 4.5 knots on course 233°T, and bears 264°T, 68 miles from you. What is the time to intercept if you make 13 Knots?

    N a. 6h 31m
    N b. 6h 47m
    N c. 7h 03m
    Y d. 7h 34m

370: Prevailing winds between 30°N and 60°N latitude are from the __________.

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

495: A semidiameter correction is applied to observations of __________.

    N a. Mars
    Y b. the Moon
    N c. Jupiter
    N d. All of the above

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

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

528: What should you expect when you encounter a tsunami in the open ocean?

    N a. Violent seas from mixed directions
    Y b. No noticeable change from the existing sea state
    N c. Winds increasing to gale force from the northwest in the Northern Hemisphere
    N d. A major wave of extreme height and length

529: In some river mouths and estuaries the incoming high-tide wave crest overtakes the preceding low-tide trough. This results in a wall of water proceeding upstream, and is called a __________.

    N a. seiche
    Y b. bore
    N c. boundary wave
    N d. surge

537: What will be the height of tide at Gargathy Neck, VA, at 1800 DST (ZD +4), on 16 August 1983?

    N a. 2.3 feet
    Y b. 2.9 feet
    N c. 3.3 feet
    N d. 3.6 feet

608: In which voyage, between two points, is the rhumb line distance NOT approximately the same as the great circle distance?

    N a. The two points are in low latitudes in the same hemisphere.
    Y b. The two points are in high latitudes in the same hemisphere.
    N c. The two points are near the equator, but in different hemispheres.
    N d. One point is near the equator, one point is in a high latitude, and both are near the 180th meridian.

635: A low HDOP (Horizontal Dilution of Precision) number such as 2 indicates a __________.

    N a. poor fix
    Y b. good fix
    N c. poor signal quality
    N d. good signal quality

679: A tropical wave is usually preceded by __________.

    N a. tropical storms
    Y b. good weather
    N c. heavy rain and cloudiness
    N d. heavy seas

809: The compass rose on a nautical chart indicates both variation and __________.

    N a. deviation
    Y b. annual rate of variation change
    N c. precession
    N d. compass error

816: Cyclones that have warm sectors usually move __________.

    N a. westerly
    Y b. parallel to the isobars in the warm sector
    N c. toward the nearest high pressure area
    N d. faster than the accompanying cold front

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

859: At 1800 ZT on 31 October, your position is LAT 24°50'N, LONG 92°37'W. You are preparing a weather report form, WS Form B-80. How should you encode the first three groups after the call sign if you estimate the wind? (D041NG )

    N a. 31123, 99929, 70249
    N b. 31183, 99249, 79237
    N c. 31243, 99249, 70926
    Y d. 01003, 99248, 70926

965: In order for a star to be used for a sight at lower transit, the star must __________.

    Y a. be circumpolar
    N b. have a declination equal to or greater than your latitude
    N c. have a GHA of 180°
    N d. have the SHA equal to or less than the LHA

978: The wind velocity is higher in the dangerous semicircle of a tropical cyclone because of the __________.

    N a. recurvature effect
    N b. extension of the low pressure ridge
    Y c. wind circulation and forward motion of the storm
    N d. direction of circulation and pressure gradient

1010: What is a characteristic of a rhumb line?

    N a. It is the shortest distance between two points on the Earth.
    N b. It plots as a straight line on a Lambert conformal chart.
    Y c. It cuts each meridian at the same angle.
    N d. The course angle constantly changes to form the loxodromic curve.

1055: The radius of a circle of equal altitude for a body equals the body's __________.

    N a. declination
    N b. polar distance
    N c. altitude
    Y d. zenith distance

1062: What is the approximate geographic range of Horton Point Light, NY, if your height of eye is 40 feet (12.2 meters)? Refer to "Reprints from the LIGHT LISTS AND COAST PILOTS" .

    N a. 18.8 nm
    Y b. 19.3 nm
    N c. 20.3 nm
    N d. 24.8 nm

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

1158: What type of cloud is indicated by the number 5 in illustration D039NG? (D039NG )

    N a. Cirrostratus
    N b. Cirrocumulus
    Y c. Altocumulus
    N d. Nimbostratus

1162: A line connecting all possible positions of your vessel at any given time is a __________.

    N a. longitude line
    N b. latitude line
    Y c. line of position
    N d. fix

1352: Weather observations provided by each weather station include all of the following except __________.

    N a. temperature
    N b. visibility
    Y c. predicted weather for the next twelve hours
    N d. barometric pressure and change in the last three hours

1353: The difference in degrees between true north and magnetic north is called __________.

    Y a. variation
    N b. deviation
    N c. drift
    N d. compass error

1356: The first indications a mariner will have of the approach of a warm front will be __________.

    N a. large cumulonimbus (thunderclouds) building up
    Y b. high cirrus clouds gradually changing to cirrostratus and then to altostratus
    N c. fog caused by the warm air passing over the cooler water
    N d. low dark clouds accompanied by intermittent rain

1372: You are enroute to Jacksonville, FL, from San Juan, P.R. There is a fresh N'ly wind blowing. As you cross the axis of the Gulf Stream you would expect to encounter __________.

    N a. cirrus clouds
    N b. long swells
    N c. smoother seas and warmer water
    Y d. steeper waves, closer together

1375: The Moon rises earlier on succeeding days when the __________.

    N a. retardation effect of the revolution of the Moon is greater than the effect due to change of declination
    Y b. effect due to change of declination is larger than that due to revolution
    N c. the revolution effect and the declination effect act in the same direction
    N d. the Moon is on the equator and the revolution effect is at a maximum

1470: The Illustration shows the symbols used on radio facsimile weather charts. Which symbol indicates a hurricane? (D042NG )

    N a. M
    N b. I
    N c. L
    Y d. K

1497: When drawing a weather map and an isobar crosses a front, the isobar is drawn __________.

    N a. perpendicular to the front
    Y b. kinked and pointing away from the low
    N c. kinked and pointing towards the low
    N d. kinked and pointing towards the high for a warm front only

1513: Scales on aneroid barometers are usually graduated in inches of mercury in the general range of __________.

    N a. 26 to 29 inches
    Y b. 28 to 31 inches
    N c. 30 to 33 inches
    N d. 32 to 35 inches

1528: Cirrostratus clouds are indicated by which number? (D039NG )

    N a. 1
    Y b. 2
    N c. 8
    N d. 9

1626: Which instrument is used to measure the relative humidity of the air?

    N a. A hydrometer
    Y b. A hygrometer
    N c. A spectrometer
    N d. A barograph

1919: The nadir is the point on the celestial sphere that is __________.

    N a. 90° away from the zenith
    N b. over Greenwich
    N c. on the western horizon
    Y d. directly below the observer

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

2062: 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 F in the illustration? (D038NG )

    Y a. One red light
    N b. Two red lights
    N c. Two green lights
    N d. Three green lights

2081: You are taking bearings on two known objects ashore. The BEST fix is obtained when the angle between the lines of position is __________.

    N a. 30°
    N b. 45°
    N c. 60°
    Y d. 90°

2178: The Flinders bar and the quadrantal spheres should be tested for permanent magnetism at what interval?

    N a. They are not subject to permanent magnetism; no check is necessary.
    N b. Semiannually
    Y c. Annually
    N d. Every five years

2279: Antares is found in what constellation?

    Y a. Scorpio
    N b. Corvus
    N c. Libra
    N d. Corona Borealis

2290: Magnets in the binnacles of magnetic compasses are used to reduce the effect of __________.

    Y a. deviation
    N b. variation
    N c. local attraction
    N d. All of the above

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

2349: The summer solstice is the point where the Sun is at __________.

    Y a. maximum declination north
    N b. maximum declination south
    N c. 0° declination going to northerly declinations
    N d. 0° declination going to southerly declinations

2428: If your vessel were proceeding up river (ascending), the port side of the channel would be marked according to the U. S. Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers by __________.

    Y a. green can buoys
    N b. red can buoys
    N c. green nun buoys
    N d. red nun buoys

2594: At McAlpine L & D, normal upper pool elevation is 420.0 feet (130.8 meters) MSL, equal to 12.0 feet (3.7 meters) on the upper gage. The vertical clearance at the Clark Memorial Highway bridge is 72.6 feet (22.1 meters) above normal pool. What is the clearance if the gage reads 10.6 feet (3.2 meters)?

    N a. 84.6 feet (25.8 meters)
    N b. 83.2 feet (25.4 meters)
    Y c. 74.0 feet (22.6 meters)
    N d. 62.0 feet (18.9 meters)

2652: The dividing meridian between zone descriptions -10 and -11 is __________.

    N a. 135°30'E
    N b. 145°00'E
    N c. 150°00'E
    Y d. 157°30'E

2687: The letter B in illustration D006NG represents the __________.

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

2774: Your radar is set on a true motion display. Which of the following will NOT appear to move across the PPI scope?

    Y a. Echoes from a buoy
    N b. Own ship's marker
    N c. Echo from a ship on the same course at the same speed
    N d. Echo from a ship on a reciprocal course at the same speed

2843: A position obtained by applying ONLY your vessel's course and speed to a known position is a __________.

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

3035: A major advantage of the NAVTEX system when compared to other systems is that __________.

    N a. the information can be received on an ordinary FM radio
    Y b. warnings are printed out for reading when convenient
    N c. broadcasts are at scheduled times
    N d. a low frequency band is used for long distance transmission

3086: Which data must ECDIS be able to record at one-minute intervals?

    Y a. Course made good history
    N b. Estimated time of arrival
    N c. Speed through the water
    N d. Shaft RPM

3090: NOAA VHF weather reports are continuously broadcast on VHF channels WX-1, WX-2 and WX-3 on a frequency of __________.

    N a. 156.8, 157.1, 162.55 MHz
    N b. 162.55, 162.00, 171.5 KHz
    Y c. 162.55, 162.40, 162.475 MHz
    N d. 2182, 2638, 2670 KHz