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.
19: You are approaching a swing bridge at night. You will know that the bridge is open for river traffic when __________.
N a. the fixed, green light starts to flash N b. the amber light changes to green N c. the red light is extinguished Y d. the red light changes to green 28: When using a buoy as an aid to navigation which of the following should be considered?
N a. The buoy should be considered to always be in the charted location. N b. If the light is flashing, the buoy should be considered to be in the charted location. Y c. The buoy may not be in the charted position. N d. The buoy should be considered to be in the charted position if it has been freshly painted. 72: The datum from which the predicted heights of tides are reckoned in the tide tables is __________.
N a. mean low water Y b. the same as that used for the charts of the locality N c. the highest possible level N d. given in table three of the tide tables 139: What is the geographic longitude of a body whose GHA is 215°15'?
N a. 35°15'W N b. 35°15'E Y c. 144°45'E N d. 144°45'W 172: A chart with a scale of 1:45,000 is a __________.
Y a. harbor chart N b. coast chart N c. general chart N d. sailing chart 179: You are proceeding up a channel at night. It is marked by a range which bears 185°T. You steady up on a compass course of 180° with the range in line dead ahead. This indicates that you(r) __________.
N a. must come right to get on the range N b. course is in error Y c. compass has some easterly error N d. are being affected by a southerly current 206: The winds you would expect to encounter in the North Atlantic between latitudes 5° and 30° are known as the __________.
N a. doldrums N b. westerlies Y c. trades N d. easterlies 211: The light rhythm of Morse (A) is shown on __________.
N a. preferred-channel buoys N b. starboard- or port-side buoys N c. special marks Y d. safe water buoys 273: Loran-C is which type of navigation system?
Y a. Hyperbolic, long-range navigation system N b. Short-range electronic N c. Long-range, high frequency navigation system N d. Long-range, with a frequency of 1950 kHz 328: The direction of prevailing winds in the Northern hemisphere is caused by the __________.
N a. magnetic field at the North Pole N b. Gulf Stream Y c. Earth's rotation N d. Arctic cold fronts 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 376: According to Buys Ballot's law, when an observer in the Northern Hemisphere experiences a northeast wind the center of low pressure is located to the __________.
N a. northeast N b. west-southwest N c. northwest Y d. south-southeast 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 416: A ship is on course 195° at a speed of 15 knots. The apparent wind is from 40° on the port bow, speed 30 knots. The direction and speed of the true wind are __________.
N a. 068°T, 30 knots Y b. 127°T, 21 knots N c. 263°T, 42 knots N d. 292°T, 42 knots 450: 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. smoother seas and warmer water Y c. steeper waves, closer together N d. long swells 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° 620: Chart legends which indicate a conspicuous landmark are printed in __________.
Y a. capital letters N b. italics N c. boldface print N d. underlined letters 647: You will enter Argentia, Newfoundland, at 1200 on 5 October 1983, while keeping zone description +3 on the ship's clocks. What will be the height of tide at this time (based on the Canadian chart datum)?
N a. 0.5 feet N b. 1.2 feet Y c. 2.1 feet N d. 3.4 feet 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 832: What is the most important source of information to be used in correcting charts and keeping them up to date?
N a. Fleet Guides Y b. Notice to Mariners N c. Sailing Directions N d. Pilot Charts 857: The current that, in many respects, is similar to the Gulf Stream is the __________.
Y a. Kuroshio N b. California Current N c. Oyashio N d. Benguela Current 893: One point of a compass is equal to how many degrees?
N a. 7.5 Y b. 11.25 N c. 17.5 N d. 22.5 910: 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 38 feet (11.6 meters) and the visibility is 5.5 miles. At what approximate range will you FIRST sight the light?
N a. 5.5 miles N b. 6.3 miles Y c. 8.0 miles N d. 12.0 miles 939: That half of the hurricane to the right hand side of its track (as you face the same direction that the storm is moving) in the Northern Hemisphere is called the __________.
N a. windward side N b. leeward side N c. safe semicircle Y d. dangerous semicircle 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 997: A coastal current __________.
N a. is generated by waves striking the beach Y b. flows outside the surf zone N c. flows in a circular pattern N d. is also known as a longshore current 1026: An air mass that has moved down from Canada would most likely have the symbols __________.
N a. mPk Y b. cPk N c. cTk N d. cTw 1136: When a warm air mass overtakes and replaces a cold air mass, the contact surface is called a(n) __________.
Y a. warm front N b. cold front N c. line squall N d. occluded front 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° 1168: Which type of cloud is indicated by the number 4? (D039NG )
N a. Altocumulus N b. Cirrostratus N c. Cumulus Y d. Altostratus 1226: Cumulonimbus clouds are most likely to accompany a(n) __________.
N a. high pressure system Y b. cold front N c. warm front N d. occluded front 1358: Despite weather predictions for continued good weather, a prudent mariner should be alert for all of the following, EXCEPT a sudden __________.
N a. drop in barometric pressure Y b. drop in temperature N c. wind shift N d. squall line 1383: The spin axis of a gyroscope tends to remain fixed in space in the direction in which it is started. How does this gyroscope become north seeking so that it can be used as a compass?
Y a. By mechanically or electrically applying forces to precess the gyroscope N b. By starting the compass with the spin axis in a north/south position N c. By taking advantage of the property of gyroscopic inertia N d. The rotation of the Earth (Earth rate) automatically aligns the gyroscope with north, except for speed errors 1410: A white buoy marked with an orange rectangle indicates __________.
N a. a fish net area Y b. general information N c. an anchorage N d. mid-channel 1411: The nominal range of a light may be accurately defined as the maximum distance at which a light may be seen __________.
N a. under existing visibility conditions N b. under perfect visibility Y c. with ten miles visibility N d. with fifteen miles visibility 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 1750: Clearance gauges at bridges indicate __________.
N a. the height of the tide N b. depth of water under the bridge N c. charted vertical clearance at mean low water Y d. distance from the water to low steel of the bridge 1761: Chart legends which indicate a conspicuous landmark are printed in __________.
N a. italics N b. underlined letters Y c. capital letters N d. boldfaced print 1870: A vessel heading SW is on a course of __________.
N a. 202.5° Y b. 225.0° N c. 247.5° N d. 270.0° 1872: To find a magnetic compass course from a true course you must apply __________.
N a. deviation N b. variation Y c. deviation and variation N d. magnetic anomalies (local disturbances) 1887: The Light List indicates that a light has a nominal range of 10 miles and is 11 feet high. If the visibility is 15 miles and your height of eye is 20 feet, at what approximate distance will you sight the light?
N a. 12.0 miles N b. 11.0 miles N c. 10.0 miles Y d. 9.0 miles 1926: The prime vertical is the great circle on the celestial sphere that passes through the __________.
N a. celestial poles and the zenith Y b. zenith, nadir and the east point of the horizon N c. celestial poles and the celestial body N d. zenith, nadir and celestial body 2220: A dead reckoning (DR) plot __________.
N a. must utilize magnetic courses N b. must take set and drift into account N c. should be replotted hourly Y d. should be started each time the vessel's position is fixed 2279: Antares is found in what constellation?
Y a. Scorpio N b. Corvus N c. Libra N d. Corona Borealis 2314: A vessel is heading magnetic east and its magnetic compass indicates a heading of 086°. What action should be taken to remove this error during compass adjustment?
N a. If the blue ends of the magnets are forward you should raise the fore-and-aft tray. N b. If the blue ends of the magnets are aft you should lower the fore-and-aft tray. Y c. If the blue ends of the magnets are aft, and the fore-and-aft tray is at the top, you should add some magnets. N d. If the blue ends of the magnets are aft, and the fore-and-aft tray is at the bottom, you should reverse the magnets. 2340: What is a "Special Warning"?
N a. An urgent message concerning a vessel in distress N b. A weather advisory about unusual meteorological or oceanographic phenomena hazardous to vessels Y c. A broadcast disseminating an official government proclamation affecting shipping N d. A radio navigational warning concerning a particularly hazardous condition affecting navigation 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 2505: At the approaches to Savannah, GA, with the wind coming out of the west, the wind-driven current will be flowing approximately __________.
N a. 280° N b. 260° N c. 100° Y d. 080° 2510: When correcting apparent altitude to observed altitude, you do NOT apply a correction for __________.
N a. the equivalent reading to the center of the body N b. the equivalent reading from the center of the Earth N c. the bending of the rays of light from the body Y d. inaccuracies in the reference level 2528: Illustration D038NG represents a fixed C of E lock and dam. What navigational light(s) is(are) exhibited at the position indicated by the letter A in the illustration? (D038NG )
N a. One red light N b. Two red lights N c. Two green lights Y d. No light 2538: The light characteristic of composite group flashing (2 + 1) is used in the Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers for lights on __________.
N a. the right descending bank N b. the left descending bank Y c. preferred-channel buoys N d. daymarks with no lateral significance 2538: The light characteristic of composite group flashing (2 + 1) is used in the Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers for lights on __________.
N a. the right descending bank N b. the left descending bank Y c. preferred-channel buoys N d. daymarks with no lateral significance 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 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 2660: In the celestial equator system of coordinates what is equivalent to the longitude of the Earth system of coordinates?
N a. Zenith distance N b. Azimuth angle N c. Declination Y d. Greenwich hour angle 2678: A vessel crossing a river on the Western Rivers, must keep out of the way of a power-driven vessel __________.
N a. descending the river with a tow N b. ascending the river with a tow N c. ascending the river without a tow Y d. All of the above 2684: The maximum difference between mean time and apparent time is __________.
N a. equal to the longitude expressed in time units Y b. about 16 minutes N c. the difference between the GHA of mean sun and the first point of Aries N d. 15° of arc 2814: In low latitudes the range of the diurnal variation of pressure is up to __________.
N a. 0.5 millibar Y b. 3.0 millibars N c. 6.0 millibars N d. 10.0 millibars 2940: On the Corps of Engineer's Navigation Maps, the channel is __________.
N a. midway between the banks N b. indicated by depths (in feet) Y c. indicated by a broken line N d. not indicated 3110: While underway, automatic identification systems (AIS) broadcast all of the following information every 1 to 10 seconds EXCEPT the __________.
N a. speed over ground N b. latitude and longitude N c. course over ground Y d. ship's scantlings