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?


42: The datum used for soundings on charts of the East Coast of the United States is __________.


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 )


195: The equation of time is 8m 00s. The mean Sun is ahead of the apparent Sun. If you are 2°W of the central meridian of your time zone, when will the apparent Sun cross your meridian?

    Y a. 1216
    N b. 1208
    N c. 1200
    N d. 1152

218: Lines of position may be __________.

    N a. hyperbolas
    N b. straight lines
    N c. arcs
    Y d. All of the above

255: On March 17, at 0500 zone time, you cross the 180th meridian steaming eastward to west longitude. What is your local time?

    N a. You are in -12 time zone.
    N b. It is 1700, March 18.
    Y c. It is 0500, March 16.
    N d. It is 0500, March 18.

301: In the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, lateral aids as seen entering from seaward will display lights with which characteristic?

    N a. Flashing
    N b. Occulting
    N c. Quick Flashing
    Y d. All of the above

342: A polyconic projection is based on a __________.

    N a. plane tangent at one point
    N b. cylinder tangent at one parallel
    N c. cone tangent at one parallel
    Y d. series of cones tangent at selected parallels

356: When facing into the wind in the Northern Hemisphere the center of low pressure lies __________.

    N a. directly in front of you
    N b. directly behind you
    N c. to your left and behind you
    Y d. to your right and behind you

357: On 10 August 1983 you will dock near Days Point, Weehawken, on the Hudson River, at 1800 DST (ZD +4). The charted depth alongside the pier is 24 feet (7.3 meters). What will be the depth of water when you dock?

    N a. 23.5 feet (7.1 m)
    Y b. 23.9 feet (7.2 m)
    N c. 24.9 feet (7.5 m)
    N d. 26.3 feet (8.0 m)

406: Your vessel is on course 135°T, speed 18 knots. From the appearance of the sea you estimate the speed of the true wind as 24.5 knots. The apparent wind is 40° on the starboard bow. Determine the speed of the apparent wind.

    N a. 24.2 knots
    N b. 28.4 knots
    N c. 32.2 knots
    Y d. 36.0 knots

408: A buoy bears 176°T at 3000 yards. What is the course to make good to leave the buoy 100 yards to port?

    N a. 174°T
    N b. 176°T
    Y c. 178°T
    N d. 180°T

421: Daylight savings time is a form of zone time that adopts the time __________.

    N a. one zone to the west
    Y b. one zone to the east
    N c. two zones to the west
    N d. two zones to the east

427: On 23 March 1983, at Kingston Point, NY, what is the earliest time after 1700 EST (ZD +5) that the predicted tide will be +2.0 feet?

    N a. 1730
    N b. 1800
    Y c. 1854
    N d. 2030

492: Which type of projection is formed if a plane is tangent to the Earth, and points are projected geometrically from the center of the Earth?

    N a. Lambert conformal
    Y b. Oblique gnomonic
    N c. Mercator
    N d. Transverse conic

549: On a working copy of a weather map, an occluded front is represented by which color line?

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

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°

595: In the navigational triangle, the angle at the elevated pole is the __________.

    Y a. meridian angle
    N b. altitude
    N c. right ascension
    N d. azimuth angle

667: The navigable semicircle of a typhoon in the Southern Hemisphere is the area __________.

    N a. behind the typhoon, measured from 90° to 180°From each side of the storm's track
    Y b. to the right of the storm's track
    N c. ahead of the typhoon, measured from the storm's track to 90° on each side
    N d. measured from due south, counterclockwise 180°

752: Which publication would NOT be used on a voyage from Houston to New York?

    N a. Coast Pilot
    N b. Light List
    N c. Radio Navigational Aids
    Y d. Sailing Directions (Enroute)

769: What does not contribute to the commercial GPS receiver position error?

    N a. Satellite clock
    Y b. Ship's speed
    N c. Atmospheric/Ionospheric propagation
    N d. Satellites' orbits

782: Mariners are FIRST warned of serious defects or important changes to aids to navigation by means of __________.

    Y a. marine broadcast Notice to Mariners
    N b. Weekly Notices to Mariners
    N c. corrected editions of charts
    N d. Light Lists

800: You are to sail from Elizabethport, NJ, on 17 November 1983 with a maximum draft of 27 feet. You will pass over an obstruction in the channel near Sandy Hook that has a charted depth of 26 feet. The steaming time from Elizabethport to the obstruction is 1h 50m. What is the earliest time (ZD +5) you can sail on 17 November and pass over the obstruction with 2 feet of clearance?

    Y a. 0056
    N b. 0124
    N c. 0154
    N d. 0218

814: Steam smoke will occur when __________.

    Y a. extremely cold air from shore passes over warmer water
    N b. warm dry air from shore passes over cooler water
    N c. cold ocean water evaporates into warm air
    N d. cool rain passes through a warm air mass

823: The greatest directive force is exerted on the magnetic compass when the __________.

    N a. needles are nearly in line with the meridian
    N b. vessel is near the magnetic poles
    N c. variation is near zero
    Y d. vessel is near the magnetic equator

888: Recurvature of a hurricane's track usually results in the forward speed __________.

    Y a. increasing
    N b. decreasing
    N c. remaining the same
    N d. varying during the day

1027: In the Northern Hemisphere the major ocean currents tend to flow __________.

    Y a. clockwise around the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans
    N b. clockwise or counterclockwise depending on whether it is warm or cold current
    N c. counterclockwise except in the Gulf Stream
    N d. counterclockwise around the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans

1071: A cardinal mark showing an uninterrupted quick-flashing white light indicates the deepest water in the area is on the __________.

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

1164: The largest waves (heaviest chop) will usually develop where the wind blows __________.

    N a. at right angles to the flow of the current
    Y b. against the flow of the current
    N c. in the same direction as the flow of the current
    N d. over slack water

1302: What feature(s) of a daymark is (are) used to identify the beacon upon which it is mounted?

    Y a. Color and shape
    N b. Size
    N c. Method of construction
    N d. Signal characteristics

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

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

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

1437: Determine the time after 0300 CST (ZD +6) when the velocity of the tidal current will be 0.5 knot on 16 April 1983, at Port Arthur Canal Entrance, TX.

    N a. 0436
    Y b. 0507
    N c. 0538
    N d. 0554

1443: At the master gyrocompass, the compass card is attached to the __________.

    N a. spider element
    Y b. sensitive element
    N c. link arm
    N d. pickup transformer

1532: The position labeled "E" was plotted because __________. (D051NG )

    Y a. a dead reckoning position is plotted for each speed change
    N b. a dead reckoning position is plotted within a half-hour of each course change
    N c. the position is a running fix
    N d. the vessel's position was fixed at 1145

1600: Zenith distance is equal to __________.

    Y a. 90° - Ho
    N b. 90° - d
    N c. Ho° + d
    N d. 90° - z

1607: When your barometer reading changes from 30.25 to 30.05 in a 12-hour period it indicates __________.

    N a. rapidly changing weather
    N b. improving weather
    N c. high winds within the next six hours
    Y d. little or no immediate change

1756: Where would you expect to find climatological and meteorological tables for the Gulf Coast area?

    N a. In the publication entitled Radio Aids to Navigation
    Y b. In the back of Coast Pilot #5
    N c. In any Coast Pilot volume
    N d. Only at the National Weather Service office

1831: IN REGION A of the IALA Buoyage System, when entering from seaward, the port side of a channel would be marked by a __________.

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

1879: A chart projection depicting the poles and a small area on either side of a connecting meridian, that is sometimes used for star charts, is the __________.

    N a. azimuthal gnomonic projection
    N b. Lambert conformal projection
    Y c. transverse Mercator projection
    N d. polyconic projection

1992: The parallel of latitude at 23°27'S is the __________.

    N a. Tropic of Cancer
    Y b. Tropic of Capricorn
    N c. Arctic Circle
    N d. ecliptic

2018: Which magnetic compass corrector(s) can be set while the vessel is on a heading of magnetic east or magnetic west?

    N a. Quadrantal spheres
    N b. Heeling magnet
    Y c. Flinders bar
    N d. Athwartships magnets

2024: In the North Sea area, you sight a buoy with a quick light showing 3 flashes every 10 seconds. Which topmark in illustration D030NG would be fitted to this buoy under the IALA Buoyage Systems? (D030NG )

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

2048: You are upbound approaching a lock and dam and see two green lights in a vertical line. This indicates __________.

    Y a. the downstream end of an intermediate wall
    N b. that a double lockage is in progress
    N c. the downstream end of the land wall
    N d. the navigable pass of a fixed weir dam

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°

2091: The velocity of the current in large coastal harbors is __________.

    N a. unpredictable
    N b. generally constant
    N c. generally too weak to be of concern
    Y d. predicted in Tidal Current Tables

2092: Descending boats, while awaiting their turn to enter a lock, shall NOT block traffic from the lock. They shall be above the lock by at LEAST __________.

    N a. 100 feet
    N b. 200 feet
    N c. 300 feet
    Y d. 400 feet

2114: Vessels regularly navigating rivers above Cairo, Illinois, shall at all times have on board a copy of __________.

    N a. Sailing Directions
    N b. Nautical Almanac for the year
    N c. U.S. Coast Pilot
    Y d. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulations (Blue Book)

2214: By convention, the Earth's south magnetic pole is colored __________.

    N a. blue
    N b. black
    N c. white
    Y d. red

2518: In low latitudes, the full Moon will always rise at about __________.

    N a. sunrise
    N b. 1200 LMT
    Y c. sunset
    N d. 2400 LMT

2612: The dividing meridian between zone descriptions -7 and -8 is __________.

    Y a. 112°30'E
    N b. 118°30'E
    N c. 120°00'E
    N d. 116°30'W

2654: What is the equivalent of 5°54' in time units?

    N a. 20 min. 16 sec.
    Y b. 23 min. 36 sec.
    N c. 25 min. 54 sec.
    N d. 30 min. 27 sec.

2672: When you are steering on a pair of range lights and find the upper light is in line above the lower light, you should __________.

    Y a. continue on the present course
    N b. come left
    N c. come right
    N d. wait until the lights are no longer in a vertical line

2742: A white diamond daymark with an orange border is a(n) __________.

    N a. special mark
    Y b. information or regulatory mark
    N c. lateral aid on the intracoastal waterway
    N d. safe water mark

2762: You take a bearing of 176° of a lighthouse. Which bearing of another object would give the best fix?

    Y a. 079°
    N b. 151°
    N c. 176°
    N d. 292°

2790: A towboat has the same draft as the barges it is pushing ahead. If the distance from the stern of the towboat to the head of the tow is 800 feet, where is the approximate location of the pivot point of the unit?

    N a. At the head of the tow
    Y b. 250 feet from the head of the tow
    N c. 400 feet from the head of the tow
    N d. 600 feet from the head of the tow

2819: The time interval between successive wave crests is called __________.

    Y a. wave period
    N b. wavelength
    N c. frequency
    N d. significant wave height

2928: You are in a buoyed channel at night and pass a lighted buoy with an irregular characteristic. You should report this to the __________.

    Y a. Coast Guard
    N b. harbor master
    N c. Corps of Engineers
    N d. National Ocean Service

3025: You determine your vessel's position by taking a range and bearing to a buoy. Your position will be plotted as a(n) __________.

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

3127: Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding automatic identification systems (AIS) ?

    N a. AIS cannot be used to make passing arrangements because the system is not capable of this type of ship-to-ship communications.
    N b. AIS cannot be used to make passing arrangements because the ship-to-ship text messaging feature is for emergency use only.
    Y c. AIS can be used to make passing arrangements via ship-to-ship text messaging but a vessel operator is not relieved from the requirement to sound whistle signals or make arrangements via bridge-to-bridge radiotelephone.
    N d. AIS can be used to make passing arrangements via ship-to-ship text massaging thus relieving a vessel operator from making such arrangements via bridge-to-bridge radiotelephone or signaling intent to pass via whistle signals.