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.


35: You are on a vessel at 0400 ZT on 3 July, and the ZD for your position is -8. What is the GMT?


131: A vertically-striped buoy may be __________.


186: In the doldrums you will NOT have __________.


191: Safe water buoys may show ONLY __________.

    N a. flashing red lights
    N b. flashing green lights
    Y c. white lights
    N d. yellow lights

302: Which symbol represents a 20-fathom curve?

    Y a. -..-..-..-..-
    N b. - - - - - - - -
    N c. - - . - - . - - . - - .
    N d. - - - - - - - -

375: If the Sun's observed altitude is 47°50', the zenith distance is __________.

    Y a. 42°10'
    N b. 42°50'
    N c. 47°50'
    N d. 132°10'

377: Determine the height of the tide at 2045 EST (ZD +5) at Augusta, ME, on 8 March 1983.

    N a. 1.4 feet (0.5 meter)
    Y b. 1.9 feet (0.6 meter)
    N c. 2.3 feet (0.7 meter)
    N d. 2.6 feet (0.8 meter)

441: A yellow buoy may exhibit a(n) __________.

    N a. fixed red light
    Y b. flashing light
    N c. white light
    N d. occulting light

464: Prior to reading an aneroid barometer, you should tap the face lightly with your finger to __________.

    N a. expose any loose connections
    N b. demagnetize the metal elements
    Y c. bring the pointer to its true position
    N d. contract and expand the glass face

523: A radar display in which North is always at the top of the screen is a(n) __________.

    N a. unstabilized display
    Y b. stabilized display
    N c. composition display
    N d. relative display

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

587: Your vessel has a draft of 34 feet. On 8 October 1983 you wish to pass over an obstruction near Jaffrey Point, NH, that has a charted depth of 31 feet. Allowing for a safety margin of 3 feet, what is the earliest time after 0900 DST (ZD +4) that this passage can be made?

    N a. 0920
    Y b. 1029
    N c. 1120
    N d. 1159

684: The ARPA may swap targets when automatically tracking if two targets __________.

    N a. are tracked on reciprocal bearings
    N b. are tracked at the same range
    N c. are tracked on the same bearing
    Y d. pass close together

700: You are enroute to Savannah, GA, from Recife, Brazil. There is a strong N'ly wind blowing. As you cross the axis of the Gulf Stream you would expect to encounter __________.

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

704: What is TRUE of the history display of a target's past positions on an ARPA?

    N a. It provides a graphic display to emphasize which vessel is on a collision course.
    Y b. In the true presentation, it provides a quick visual check to determine if a vessel has changed course.
    N c. The display is one of the primary inputs and must be in use when using the trial maneuver capability.
    N d. It provides a graphic display of a target vessel's relative course, speed, and CPA.

750: On a working copy of a weather map, a cold front is represented by what color line?

    N a. Red
    Y b. Blue
    N c. Alternating red and blue
    N d. Purple

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

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

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

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

801: You are entering an African port and see ahead of you a red can-shaped buoy. What action should you take?

    Y a. Alter course to leave the buoy to port
    N b. Alter course to leave the buoy to starboard
    N c. Pass the buoy close aboard on either side
    N d. Pass the buoy well clear on either side

843: The line which connects the points of zero magnetic dip is __________.

    N a. an agonic line
    Y b. the magnetic equator
    N c. a magnetic meridian
    N d. All of the above

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

974: Which cloud commonly produces a halo about the Sun or Moon?

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

1012: General information about the location, characteristics, facilities, and services for U.S. and foreign ports may be obtained from which publication?

    Y a. World Port Index
    N b. Sailing Directions
    N c. Distances Between Ports
    N d. Coast Pilot

1043: You are about to go to sea and adjust the magnetic compass. To expedite the adjustment at sea, in what order should the following dockside adjustments be made?

    N a. Flinders bar first, then the heeling magnet and spheres
    N b. Heeling magnet first, then the Flinders bar and spheres
    Y c. Flinders bar first, then the spheres and heeling magnet
    N d. Spheres first, then the Flinders bar and heeling magnet

1064: The dew point temperature is __________.

    N a. always higher than the air temperature
    N b. always lower than the air temperature
    N c. equal to the difference between the wet and dry bulb temperatures
    Y d. the temperature at which the air is saturated with water vapor

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

1132: On charts of U.S. waters, a magenta marking is NOT used for marking a __________.

    N a. radio beacon
    Y b. 5-fathom curve
    N c. prohibited area
    N d. lighted buoy

1170: Which statement concerning the illustration is correct? (Soundings and heights are in meters) (D010NG )

    N a. Maury Lightship swings about her anchor on a circle with a 21-meter diameter.
    Y b. The sunken wreck southwest of Beito Island shows the hull or superstructure above the sounding datum.
    N c. There is a 12-meter deep hole inside the 5-meter curve just west of Beito Island.
    N d. The position of the lightship is indicated by the center of the star on the symbol's mast.

1308: On a voyage from Cape Town to London, the favorable ocean current off the coast of Africa is the __________.

    N a. Canary Current
    Y b. Benguela Current
    N c. Agulhas Current
    N d. South Atlantic Current

1329: Yesterday your chronometer read 03h 01m 56s at the 1500 GMT time tick. Today your chronometer read 03h 01m 54s at the 1500 GMT time tick. What is the chronometer rate?

    N a. 1m 54s fast
    N b. 2s fast
    Y c. -2s
    N d. +2s

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

1563: Neap tides occur only __________.

    N a. at a new or full Moon
    N b. when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are in line
    N c. at approximately 28-day intervals
    Y d. when the Moon is at quadrature

1619: Sextant A reads __________. (D043NG )

    Y a. 29°42.7'
    N b. 29°45.7'
    N c. 29°51.8'
    N d. 30°47.2'

1632: Lighted white and orange buoys must show which color light?

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

1652: Small, visible mound-like protuberances on the bottom of cumulonimbus clouds, that are potential breeding grounds for waterspouts and tornadoes, are called __________.

    N a. thunderheads
    Y b. mamma
    N c. rime
    N d. ice prisms

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

1681: You can expect frontal activity when two air masses collide and __________.

    N a. their barometric pressures and temperatures are the same
    N b. there are differences in how they track along the jet stream
    N c. there are no significant differences between their temperatures and moisture content
    Y d. there are significant differences between the temperature of each air mass

1709: The Beaufort scale is used to estimate the __________.

    N a. wind direction
    N b. percentage of cloud cover
    Y c. wind speed
    N d. barometric pressure

1749: If the current and wind are in opposite directions, the sea surface represents __________.

    N a. a greatly reduced wind speed
    Y b. a higher wind speed than what really exists
    N c. a lower wind speed than what really exists
    N d. more turbulent winds

1815: Which weather system produces strong cold winds called "Northers" during the winter months in the Gulf of Mexico?

    Y a. An anticyclone
    N b. A polar maritime air mass
    N c. A cyclone
    N d. A low pressure system

1842: What is the major problem with taking high altitude observations?

    N a. Possible errors due to unusual refraction may exist.
    N b. The tables are not as accurate due to inherent errors in the spherical triangle at high altitudes.
    N c. Rapidly changing altitudes make it difficult to get an accurate altitude.
    Y d. It is difficult to establish the point where the sextant is vertical to the horizon.

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°

1910: What sextant correction corrects the apparent altitude to the equivalent reading at the center of the Earth?

    N a. Phase
    Y b. Parallax
    N c. Semidiameter
    N d. Augmentation

1942: In the horizon system of coordinates what is equivalent to the declination of the equator system?

    N a. Nadir
    N b. Azimuth angle
    Y c. Altitude
    N d. Zenith distance

2060: What is the relative bearing of an object broad on the starboard quarter?

    N a. 045°
    N b. 090°
    Y c. 135°
    N d. 225°

2164: The line connecting the points of the earth's surface where there is no dip is the __________.

    N a. agonic line
    Y b. magnetic equator
    N c. isodynamic
    N d. isopor

2279: Antares is found in what constellation?

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

2326: A double star is a star that __________.

    N a. has a declination equal to twice that of the Sun
    Y b. comprises two stars that appear close together
    N c. is twice as bright as a single star
    N d. suddenly becomes much brighter and then fades

2350: The principal advantage of NAVTEX radio warnings is that __________.

    Y a. they can be used by mariners who do not know Morse code
    N b. only an ordinary FM radio is necessary to receive these warnings
    N c. information on a given topic is only broadcast at specified times
    N d. they cover a broad spectrum of the radio band allowing reception on almost any type of receiver

2416: An orange and white buoy indicating a vessel-exclusion area will be marked with what symbol?

    N a. Open-faced diamond
    Y b. Diamond with a cross
    N c. Circle
    N d. Square

2534: You must construct a Mercator plotting sheet on a piece of paper measuring 26" by 30". The area includes latitude 28°15'N to 35°45'N and longitude 174°00'E to 178°00'W. Allow a three-quarter inch neat line on all sides. What is the maximum distance between each degree of longitude that will permit the area of the plotting sheet to be drawn within the stated limitation?

    N a. 2.76 inches
    N b. 2.92 inches
    Y c. 3.06 inches
    N d. 3.19 inches

2610: A line on the Earth parallel to the equator is a __________.

    N a. gnomonic curve
    Y b. small circle
    N c. meridian
    N d. great circle

2628: A drawbridge may use visual signals to acknowledge a vessel's request to open the draw. Which signal indicates that the draw will NOT be opened immediately?

    N a. A flashing amber light
    Y b. A fixed red light
    N c. A white flag raised and lowered vertically
    N d. A flashing white light

2725: A position that is obtained by using two or more intersecting lines of position taken at nearly the same time, is a(n) __________.

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

2777: A sailing chart could have a scale of __________.

    N a. not more than 1:25,000
    N b. 1:35,000
    N c. 1:100,000
    Y d. 1:700,000

2947: A position obtained by crossing lines of position taken at different times and advanced to a common time is a(n) __________.

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

2959: Vessels required to have an Automatic Radar Plotting Aid must have a device to indicate the __________.

    N a. time of the next navigational satellite
    N b. distance to the next port
    Y c. speed of the vessel over the ground or through the water
    N d. None of the above

3020: A mooring buoy, if lighted, shows which color light?

    N a. Yellow
    Y b. White
    N c. Blue
    N d. Any color except red or green

3085: An ECDIS is required to display which information?

    N a. Water temperature
    N b. Climatology data
    N c. Speed of advance
    Y d. Depth contours

3091: Which of the following must an ECDIS system be able to perform?

    N a. Conversion of "graphical coordinates" to "display coordinates"
    N b. Transformation of local datum to WGS-'84 datum
    N c. Calculation of true azimuth and distance between two geographical points
    Y d. All of the above