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.
146: What change in the wind direction could be expected at position "D" if the low were moving northeasterly? (D049NG )
Y a. Veering to the west N b. Backing to the north N c. Veering to the north N d. Backing to the east 250: Weather systems in the middle latitudes generally travel from __________.
Y a. west to east N b. east to west N c. north to south N d. None of the above 286: On the pole side of the trade wind belt, there is an area of high pressure with weak pressure gradients and light, variable winds. This area is called the __________.
N a. prevailing westerlies N b. geostrophic winds N c. doldrums Y d. horse latitudes 320: Sometimes foreign charts are reproduced by NGA (NIMA). On such a chart, a wire-dragged, swept area may be shown in green or __________.
N a. red N b. black Y c. purple N d. yellow 351: Which buoy may be odd numbered?
N a. A spherical buoy Y b. An unlighted can buoy N c. A red buoy N d. A yellow buoy 420: You are inbound in a channel marked by a range. The range line is 309°T. You are steering 306°T and have the range in sight as shown. The range continues to open. What action should you take? (D047NG )
Y a. Alter course to the left until the range closes then steer to the left of 306°T. N b. Maintain course as it is normal for the range to open as you get close. N c. Alter course to the left to close the range, then alter course to 309°T. N d. Alter course to the right to 309°T or more to bring the range in line. 437: Your vessel will be docking at Chester, PA, during the evening of 22 April 1983. The chart shows a depth of 20 feet (6.1 meters) at the pier. What will be the depth of water available at 1856 EST (ZD +5)?
N a. 22.4 feet (6.8 meters) Y b. 23.4 feet (7.2 meters) N c. 24.9 feet (7.6 meters) N d. 25.7 feet (7.8 meters) 461: Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, a yellow buoy may __________.
Y a. mark a fish net area N b. be lighted with a white light N c. show a fixed red light N d. All of the above 466: In the relatively calm area near the hurricane center, the seas are __________.
N a. moderate but easily navigated N b. calm Y c. mountainous and confused N d. mountainous but fairly regular as far as direction is concerned 505: The error in the measurement of the altitude of a celestial body, caused by refraction, increases as the __________.
N a. horizontal parallax decreases N b. observer's height above sea level increases N c. humidity of the atmosphere decreases Y d. altitude of the body decreases 581: The Captain of the Port has closed to navigation, and buoyed, a section of a harbor. These buoys would be painted __________.
N a. red or green to conform with the other lateral aids N b. red and green horizontally-striped N c. solid yellow Y d. white with orange markings 588: You are underway on course 050°T and your maximum speed is 10 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 100°T, 90 miles from your position. The hurricane is moving towards 285°T at 19 knots. If you maneuver at 10 knots to avoid the hurricane, what could be the maximum CPA?
N a. 39 miles N b. 45 miles Y c. 53 miles N d. 59 miles 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 630: What kind of weather would you expect to accompany the passage of a tropical wave?
Y a. Heavy rain and cloudiness N b. Good weather N c. A tropical storm N d. Dense fog 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 686: The pressure gradient between the horse latitudes and doldrums runs __________.
N a. east to west Y b. north to south N c. northeast to southwest N d. northwest to southeast 755: The sidereal day begins when the __________.
N a. Sun is over the lower branch of the reference meridian N b. Sun is over the upper branch of the reference meridian N c. first point of Aries is over the lower branch of the reference meridian Y d. first point of Aries is over the upper branch of the reference meridian 761: Under the IALA Buoyage Systems, a safe water mark may NOT __________.
N a. be spherical N b. display a white light N c. be lettered Y d. show a quick flashing light 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 891: Under the IALA-A Buoyage System, a buoy indicating the preferred channel is to port would have __________.
N a. an even number N b. an odd number N c. a pillar shape Y d. horizontal bands 917: As the South Equatorial Current approaches the east coast of Africa, it divides with the main part flowing south to form the warm __________.
Y a. Agulhas Current N b. Canary Current N c. Benguela Current N d. Madagascar Current 947: The cold ocean current which meets the warm Gulf Stream between latitudes 40° and 43°N to form the "cold wall" is called the __________.
N a. North Cape Current Y b. Labrador Current N c. Greenland Current N d. North Atlantic Current 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 1089: You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5.5 knots on course 033°T, and bears 248°T at 64 miles from you. What is the course to steer at 13 knots to intercept vessel A?
Y a. 262° N b. 269° N c. 276° N d. 281° 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 1178: The range of tide is the __________.
N a. distance the tide moves out from the shore Y b. difference between the heights of high and low tide N c. duration of time between the high and low tide N d. maximum depth of the water at high tide 1197: Off Fire Island, NY with winds from the southwest, the average wind-driven current flows in a direction of __________.
N a. 014° Y b. 076° N c. 170° N d. 256° 1211: Red sectors of navigation lights warn mariners of __________.
N a. floating debris N b. heavily trafficked areas N c. recently sunken vessels Y d. shoals or nearby land 1297: What will be the velocity of the tidal current at Bournedale, MA, at 1135 DST (ZD +4) on 3 May 1983?
N a. 1.1 knots N b. 2.3 knots Y c. 3.0 knots N d. 3.6 knots 1433: A system of reservoirs and connecting tubes in a gyro compass is called a __________.
N a. spider element Y b. mercury ballistic N c. gyrotron N d. rotor 1448: Spring tides occur when the __________.
N a. Moon is in its first quarter or third quarter phase N b. Sun and Moon are in quadrature N c. Moon's declination is maximum and opposite to that of the Sun Y d. Moon is new or full 1501: What is the distance from the bottom of a wave trough to the top of a wave crest?
N a. Wave length Y b. Wave height N c. Wave breadth N d. Wave depth 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 1555: Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, a yellow buoy is a __________.
N a. safe water buoy N b. junction buoy N c. cardinal mark Y d. special purpose mark 1574: Information about currents around Pacific Coast ports of the U.S. is found in the __________.
N a. Nautical Almanac N b. Tide Tables Y c. Tidal Current Tables N d. Ocean Current Tables 1595: The Light List indicates that a light has a nominal range of 8 miles and is 48 feet(14.6 meters) high. If the visibility is 6 miles and your height of eye is 35 feet(10.7 meters), at what approximate distance will you sight the light?
N a. 15.0 nm N b. 12.4 nm N c. 8.0 nm Y d. 5.9 nm 1600: Zenith distance is equal to __________.
Y a. 90° - Ho N b. 90° - d N c. Ho° + d N d. 90° - z 1642: Which type of cloud formation should be of immediate concern to small craft operators?
N a. cirrus N b. altostratus N c. nimbostratus Y d. cumulonimbus 1654: Which weather element cannot be measured accurately while on board a moving vessel?
Y a. Visibility N b. Temperature N c. Wind direction N d. Atmospheric pressure 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 1771: Which type of precipitation is a product of the violent convection found in thunderstorms?
N a. Snow N b. Freezing Rain Y c. Hail N d. Sleet 1932: The zenith is the point on the celestial sphere that is __________.
N a. 90° away from the poles Y b. directly over the observer N c. on the eastern horizon N d. over Greenwich 2076: You should plot your dead reckoning position __________.
Y a. from every fix or running fix N b. from every estimated position N c. every three minutes in pilotage waters N d. only in pilotage waters 2119: Which stock number indicates an NGA (NIMA) chart designed for fixing positions at sea and DR plotting while on a long voyage?
Y a. WOAGN520 N b. PILOT16 N c. 16BCO16212 N d. WOPZC5245 2174: By convention, the Earth's north magnetic pole is colored __________.
N a. red N b. white Y c. blue N d. black 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. 2338: A group of stars which appear close together and form a striking configuration such as a person or animal is a __________.
N a. cluster N b. shower Y c. constellation N d. galaxy 2373: The vertical distance from the tidal datum to the level of the water is the __________.
N a. actual water depth N b. range of tide N c. charted depth Y d. height of tide 2474: A vessel is heading magnetic north and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 356°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?
N a. 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. Y b. If the blue ends of the magnets are to starboard, and the athwartships tray is at the bottom, you should remove some magnets. N c. If the red ends of the magnets are to starboard, and the athwartships tray is at the bottom, you should reverse the magnets. N d. If the blue ends of the magnets are to starboard, you should raise the athwartships tray. 2539: Under the IALA cardinal system, a mark with quick white light showing 3 flashes every 10 seconds indicates that the safest water in the area is on the __________.
N a. north side of the mark N b. west side of the mark Y c. east side of the mark N d. south side of the mark 2583: You are in the Northern Hemisphere and a tropical wave is located 200 miles due west of your position. Where will the wave be located 24 hours later?
N a. In the same place N b. Closer and to the west N c. Closer and to the east Y d. Farther away to the west 2673: A bluff bar is a bar __________.
N a. extending out from a bluff alongside the river N b. that tends to give a false indication of its position Y c. that has a sharp drop off into deep water N d. that is perpendicular to the current 2673: A bluff bar is a bar __________.
N a. extending out from a bluff alongside the river N b. that tends to give a false indication of its position Y c. that has a sharp drop off into deep water N d. that is perpendicular to the current 2721: You are plotting a running fix. How many fixed objects are needed to take your lines of position from?
Y a. One N b. Two N c. Three N d. None 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 2796: The correction tables in the Nautical Almanac for use with Moon sights do NOT include the effects of __________.
Y a. instrument error N b. augmentation N c. semidiameter N d. parallax 2821: The height of tide is the __________.
N a. difference between the depth of the water at high tide and the depth of the water at low tide N b. depth of water at a specific time due to tidal effect Y c. difference between the depth of the water and the area's tidal datum N d. difference between the depth of the water and the high water tidal level 2821: The height of tide is the __________.
N a. difference between the depth of the water at high tide and the depth of the water at low tide N b. depth of water at a specific time due to tidal effect Y c. difference between the depth of the water and the area's tidal datum N d. difference between the depth of the water and the high water tidal level 2904: Your radar displays your ship off center. As you proceed on your course, your ship's marker moves on the PPI scope while echoes from land masses remain stationary. What is this display called?
N a. Off center Y b. True motion N c. Stabilized N d. Head up 2945: A position that is obtained by applying estimated current and wind to your vessel's course and speed is a(n) __________.
Y a. estimated position N b. dead reckoning position N c. fix N d. None of the above