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.


43: A buoy with a composite group-flashing light indicates a(n) __________.


61: Red lights may appear on __________.


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


306: Weather conditions in the middle latitudes generally move __________.

    Y a. eastward
    N b. westward
    N c. northward
    N d. southward

344: A marine sextant has the index arm set at zero and the reflected image of the horizon forms a continuous line with the actual image. When the sextant is rotated about the line of sight the images separate. The sextant has __________.

    N a. error of perpendicularity
    Y b. side error
    N c. prismatic error
    N d. centering error

410: The height of the tide at low water is 0.0 feet. The range is 9.0 feet. The duration is 06h 00m. The height of the tide 02h 12m before high water will be __________.

    N a. 8.3 feet
    Y b. 6.3 feet
    N c. 4.7 feet
    N d. 2.7 feet

485: A phase correction is applied to observations of __________.

    N a. the Sun
    N b. stars
    Y c. planets
    N d. All of the above

563: Your radar has a beam width of 2°. The radar gyro bearing of the right tangent of an island is 316°. The gyro error is 1°E. Which true bearing should be plotted on the chart?

    N a. 313°
    N b. 314°
    Y c. 316°
    N d. 317°

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

    N a. must be from dead ahead
    N b. speed must be zero
    Y c. must be from dead astern
    N d. must be on the beam

625: The center of a circle of equal altitude, plotted on the surface of the Earth, is the __________.

    N a. dead reckoning position of the observer
    N b. assumed position of the observer
    Y c. geographical position of the body
    N d. assumed position of the body

632: You must construct a Mercator projection for an area bounded by latitudes 40° - 47°N and longitudes 176°E to 176°W on a paper 28 X 36 inches. Allow a neat line of one inch. What will be the separation between meridians?

    N a. 3.190 inches
    Y b. 3.249 inches
    N c. 3.529 inches
    N d. 3.714 inches

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

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

674: When using an ARPA, what should you consider in order to evaluate the information displayed?

    N a. The target vessel's generated course and speed are based solely on radar inputs.
    Y b. Navigational constraints may require a target vessel to change course.
    N c. The trial maneuver feature will automatically determine a course that will clear all targets.
    N d. You cannot determine if a small target has been lost due to sea return.

694: Your ARPA has two guard zones. What is the purpose of the inner guard zone?

    N a. Alert the watch officer that a vessel is approaching the preset CPA limit
    Y b. Warn of small targets that are initially detected closer than the outer guard zone
    N c. Guard against target loss during critical maneuvering situations
    N d. Sound an alarm for targets first detected within the zone

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

719: You are on course 209°T. In order to check the longitude of your vessel, you should observe a celestial body on which bearing?

    N a. 209°
    Y b. 270°
    N c. 299°
    N d. 000°

735: The period of the Earth's revolution from perihelion to perihelion is the __________.

    N a. astronomical year
    Y b. anomalistic year
    N c. solar year
    N d. sidereal year

754: Deviation in a compass is caused by the __________.

    N a. vessel's geographic position
    N b. vessel's heading
    N c. earth's magnetic field
    Y d. influence of the magnetic materials of the vessel

760: As a vessel changes course to starboard, the compass card in a magnetic compass __________.

    N a. first turns to starboard then counterclockwise to port
    N b. also turns to starboard
    Y c. remains aligned with compass north
    N d. turns counterclockwise to port

849: 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 30 feet (9.1 meters) and the visibility is 0.5 mile. At what approximate range will you first sight the light?

    N a. 0.5 mile
    Y b. 1.4 miles
    N c. 5.2 miles
    N d. 12.0 miles

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

    N a. Argentina
    N b. Japan
    Y c. India
    N d. Canada

877: Cold water flowing southward through the western part of the Bering Strait between Alaska and Siberia is joined by water circulating counterclockwise in the Bering Sea to form the __________.

    N a. Alaska Current
    N b. Subarctic Current
    N c. Kuroshio Current
    Y d. Oyashio Current

895: The ecliptic is __________.

    Y a. the path the Sun appears to take among the stars
    N b. the path the Earth appears to take among the stars
    N c. a diagram of the zodiac
    N d. a great circle on a gnomonic chart

1068: A vessel sighting a northern right whale dead ahead should __________.

    N a. maintain course and speed
    Y b. alter course to give a wide clearance
    N c. report the whale's position to the Canadian Coast Guard
    N d. All of the above

1093: The Flinders bar on a magnetic compass compensates for the __________.

    Y a. induced magnetism in vertical soft iron
    N b. induced magnetism in horizontal soft iron
    N c. permanent magnetism in ship's steel
    N d. vessel's inclination from the vertical

1101: In the North Sea area, you sight a buoy showing an uninterrupted quick-flashing white light. Which of the four topmarks shown will this buoy be fitted with under the IALA Buoyage system? (D031NG )

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

1104: Which condition(s) is(are) necessary for the formation of dew?

    N a. Clear skies
    N b. Calm air
    N c. Earth's surface cooler than the dew point of the air
    Y d. All of the above

1153: Heeling error is defined as the change of deviation for a heel of __________.

    N a. 2°While the vessel is on an intercardinal heading
    Y b. 1°While the vessel is on a compass heading of 000°
    N c. 2° and is constant on all headings
    N d. 1° while the vessel is on a compass heading of 180°

1200: You want to transit Pollock Rip Channel, MA, on 6 April 1983. What is the period of time around the 0955 (ZD +5) slack in which the current does not exceed 0.3 knot?

    N a. 0911 to 0955
    N b. 0940 to 1010
    N c. 0955 to 1044
    Y d. 0935 to 1017

1216: In the Northern Hemisphere, winds veering sharply to the west or northwest with increasing speed are indications that a __________.

    Y a. cold front has passed
    N b. low pressure center is approaching
    N c. stationary front exists
    N d. high pressure center has passed

1391: When a light is first seen on the horizon it will disappear again if the height of eye is immediately lowered several feet. When the eye is raised to its former height the light will again be visible. This process is called __________.

    N a. checking a light
    N b. raising a light
    N c. obscuring a light
    Y d. bobbing a light

1416: Radiation fog __________.

    N a. always forms over water
    Y b. is formed by a temperature inversion
    N c. is thinnest at the surface
    N d. dissipates during the evening

1467: Determine the time after 0730 EST (ZD +5) when the velocity of the current will be 2.1 knots on 26 March 1983, at Fort Pulaski, GA.

    N a. 0802
    N b. 0812
    N c. 0821
    Y d. 0840

1506: You are steaming southward along the west coast of the United States when you sight a buoy showing a flashing green light. How should you pass this buoy?

    N a. Leave it to your port.
    Y b. Leave it to your starboard.
    N c. Pass it close aboard on either side.
    N d. Pass it on either side but well clear of it.

1612: The strongest winds and heaviest rains in a hurricane are found in the __________.

    N a. outer bands
    N b. eye
    Y c. cloud walls
    N d. spiral rainbands

1659: The type of fog that occurs on clear nights with very light breezes and forms when the earth cools rapidly by radiation is known as __________.

    Y a. radiation fog
    N b. frontal fog
    N c. convection fog
    N d. advection fog

1708: What generally occurs when the land is cooler than the nearby water?

    Y a. A land breeze
    N b. A sea breeze
    N c. A norther
    N d. A prevailing westerly

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

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

2111: Vessels regularly navigating Ohio and Mississippi rivers above Cairo, Illinois, and their tributaries, shall at all times have on board a copy of __________.

    N a. Tide Tables
    N b. U.S. Coast Pilot
    Y c. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Regulations (Blue Book)
    N d. Sailing Directions

2192: Off Fire Island, NY, with winds from the southwest, the average wind-driven current flows in a direction of __________.

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

2242: A vessel is heading magnetic north and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 356°. Which action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?

    Y a. If the red ends of the magnets are to port you should lower the athwartships tray.
    N b. If the red ends of the magnets are aft you should raise the fore-and-aft tray.
    N c. If the blue ends of the magnets are to port, and the athwartships tray is at the top, you should remove some of the magnets.
    N d. If the blue ends of the magnets are aft you should raise the fore-and-aft tray.

2288: A mean sun is used as the reference for solar time for three reasons. Which reason is NOT a cause for use of a mean sun?

    N a. The motion of the apparent sun is along the ecliptic.
    Y b. Measurement of time is along the celestial equator.
    N c. The speed of the Earth's revolution is not constant.
    N d. There are variations in the Earth's rotational speed.

2306: In the North Sea area, you sight a buoy showing a quick white light with 9 flashes every 15 seconds. Which of the four topmarks shown would be fitted to the buoy? (D031NG )

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

2308: The points where the Sun is at 0° declination are known as __________.

    N a. solstices
    Y b. equinoxes
    N c. perigee
    N d. apogee

2316: Elongation becomes zero at __________.

    N a. opposition
    N b. west quadrature
    N c. apogee
    Y d. inferior conjunction

2320: The type of current which will have the greatest effect on the course made good for your vessel is __________.

    N a. one flowing in the same direction as your course steered
    N b. one flowing in the opposite direction as your course steered
    Y c. one that flows at nearly right angles to your course steered
    N d. a rotary current in which the direction of current flow constantly changes

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

2348: Under the IALA cardinal system, a mark with a quick light showing 9 flashes every 15 seconds indicates that the safest water is on the __________.

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

2440: You are on course 357°T and take a relative bearing of a lighthouse of 180°. What is the true bearing to the lighthouse?

    N a. 003°
    N b. 227°
    Y c. 177°
    N d. 363°

2629: In both regions of the IALA buoyage system, which topmark is used on a special mark? (D022NG )

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

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

2788: The Light List indicates that a dayboard is a type KGW. You should __________.

    N a. see a green and white diamond
    N b. leave it to port when southbound on the Atlantic Coast ICW
    N c. pass it close aboard on either side
    Y d. look for another daymark to form the range

2909: A nun buoy is indicated by which letter in illustration D044NG?

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

2936: Information on search and rescue procedures and special, local communications used in Mexican waters will be found in the __________.

    N a. World Port Index
    N b. International Code of Signals (Pub 102)
    Y c. Sailing Directions (Planning Guides)
    N d. International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue Manual

2937: The depth of the water is indicated on a chart as 32 meters. This is equal to __________.

    N a. 11.50 fathoms
    N b. 12.62 fathoms
    Y c. 17.50 fathoms
    N d. 104.99 fathoms

2952: The channel under a bridge is marked with lights of the lateral system. The centerline of the channel shall be marked on the bridge by __________.

    Y a. an occulting white light
    N b. a yellow light
    N c. three fixed white lights
    N d. a flashing blue light

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

2979: You take a bearing of 356° of a lighthouse. What bearing of another object would give the best fix?

    N a. 013°
    Y b. 082°
    N c. 176°
    N d. 201°

3082: Which type of GPS receiver has at least four channels to process information from several satellites simultaneously?

    N a. Sequential
    Y b. Continuous
    N c. Multiplex
    N d. None of the above