National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners Q203 Navigation General-Near Coastal (Sample Examination) Page 1 of 20
Choose the best answer to the following Multiple Choice questions. 1. How can Northern right whales can be identified? o (A) Whitish patches of skin on top of the head o (B) "V" shaped blow easily visible from ahead or behind o (C) No dorsal fin on the back (D) All of the above 2. What does the expression "the air is saturated" mean? o (A) The precipitation has commenced o (B) The cloud cover is 100% o (C) The vapor pressure is at its minimum for the prevailing temperature (D) The relative humidity is 100% 3. On a voyage from Halifax, N.S., to Dakar, West Africa, the Canary Current will. o (A) set the vessel to the left o (B) offer resistance in the form of a head current (C) set the vessel to the right o (D) furnish additional thrust in the form of a fair or following current 4. Which correction must be applied to an aneroid barometer reading? o (A) Temperature error o (B) Gravity error (C) Height error o (D) English to metric conversion error 5. The average height of the surface of the sea for all stages of the tide over a 19 year period is called. (A) mean sea level o (B) mean low water o (C) half-tide level o (D) mean high water Page 2 of 20
6. Priming of the tides occurs. (A) when the Moon is between new and first quarter and between full and third quarter o (B) at times of new and full Moon o (C) when the Moon is between first quarter and full and between third quarter and new o (D) when the Earth, Moon, and Sun are lying approximately on the same line 7. Which statement about gyrocompass error is TRUE? o (A) The sign (E or W) of the error will change with different headings of the ship. (B) The amount of the error and the sign will generally be the same on all headings. o (C) Any error shown by a gyro repeater will be the same as the error of the master compass. o (D) Any error will remain constant unless the compass is stopped and restarted. 8. When would cloud formations be minimal? o (A) When the relative humidity is very high o (B) When the barometric pressure is very low (C) When the surface temperature and temperature aloft are equal o (D) When the surface temperature and temperature aloft differ greatly 9. Which is the term given to the time required for a lighted aid to complete a full cycle of light changes? o (A) Set o (B) Frequency o (C) Function (D) Period 10. You take a bearing of 264 of a lighthouse. What bearing of another object would give the best fix? (A) 350 o (B) 289 o (C) 081 o (D) 120 Page 3 of 20
11. While navigating in fog off a coastline of steep cliffs, you hear the echo of the ship's fog horn 4 seconds after the signal was sounded. What is the distance to the shore? o (A) 209 yards o (B) 363 yards o (C) 480 yards (D) 730 yards 12. You are plotting a running fix. The LOP to be run forward is an arc from a radar range, what technique should be used? o (A) The distance between LOP's should be added to the radar range and a new arc swung. o (B) An arc should never be run forward. (C) The position of the object observed should be advanced to the new time and a new arc swung using the radius of the old arc. o (D) The arc should be converted into a straight line using offsets and then run forward. 13. The ECDIS must have the capability to preserve the record of the voyage track. How many hours of the previous track are required to be maintained? o (A) 4 hours o (B) 6 hours (C) 12 hours o (D) 24 hours 14. A rotary current sets through all directions of the compass. The time it takes to complete one of these cycles, in a locale off the East coast of the US, is approximately. o (A) 2 1/2 hours o (B) 3 1/2 hours o (C) 6 1/4 hours (D) 12 1/2 hours 15. A pilot chart does NOT contain information about which item? (A) Tidal currents o (B) Average wind conditions o (C) Magnetic variation o (D) Average limits of field ice Page 4 of 20
16. Which of the buoys listed below could be used to mark an anchorage? o (A) White buoy with a green top o (B) White buoy numbered "3" (C) Yellow buoy lettered "N" o (D) White buoy with orange bands 17. Your vessel is steering course 243 psc. Variation for the area is 5 E, and deviation is 2 W. The wind is from the south-southeast, producing a 2 leeway. What true course are you making good? o (A) 242 T o (B) 244 T o (C) 246 T (D) 248 T 18. You are steering 231 T, and a light is picked up dead ahead at a distance of 12.3 miles at 0338. You change course to pass the light 4 miles off abeam to starboard. If you are making 16.5 knots, what is your ETA at the position 4 miles off the light? o (A) 0426 o (B) 0429 (C) 0420 o (D) 0423 19. Buoys are marked with reflective material to assist in their detection by searchlight. Which statement is TRUE? o (A) A safe-water buoy will display red and white vertical stripes of reflective material. (B) A preferred-channel buoy displays either red or green reflective material to agree with the top band of color. o (C) All reflective material is white because it is the most visible at night. o (D) A special-purpose mark will display either red or green reflective material to agree with its shape. Page 5 of 20
20. 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? o (A) Leave it to your port. o (B) Pass it on either side but well clear of it. o (C) Pass it close aboard on either side. (D) Leave it to your starboard. 21. If you were sailing in the North Pacific and were interested in the ice and iceberg limits, where could you find this information? o (A) Coast Pilot (B) Pilot Chart o (C) Notice to Mariners o (D) None of the above 22. You have been informed that dredging operations may be underway in your vicinity. Which buoy indicates the dredging area? o (A) White and international orange buoy (B) Yellow buoy o (C) White buoy with a green top o (D) Yellow and black vertically striped buoy 23. The edge of a hurricane has overtaken your vessel in the Gulf of Mexico, and the northwest wind of a few hours ago has shifted to the west. Where is your vessel located according to the shift of the wind? o (A) In the eye of the storm o (B) In the dangerous semicircle (C) In the navigable semicircle o (D) In a high pressure area 24. If your mercurial barometer reads 30.50 inches (1033 millibars) and the temperature is 56 F (13 C), what is the correct reading at 55 N, 150 W? o (A) 30.42 inches (1030 millibars) (B) 30.45 inches (1031 millibars) o (C) 30.50 inches (1032 millibars) o (D) 30.53 inches (1033 millibars) Page 6 of 20
25. Your vessel is participating in the Voluntary Observing Ship Program, at 1200 ZT on 31 August, your position is LAT 43 14'S, LONG 175 44'E. You are preparing WS Form B-80 as seen in illustration D041NG below. How should you encode the first three groups after the call sign if you estimate the wind? (A) 31003, 99432, 31757 o (B) 01003, 94314, 51757 o (C) 31123, 99432, 31754 o (D) 31243, 94314, 31757 26. You are heading in a northerly direction when you come across an easterly current. Your vessel will respond in which manner? (A) The vessel will be pushed to starboard o (B) The vessel will decrease in engine speed o (C) The vessel will remain on course o (D) The vessel will be pushed to port 27. Which term describes a light, feathery deposit of ice caused by the sublimation of water vapor directly into the crystalline form, on objects whose temperatures are below freezing? (A) Frost o (B) Dew o (C) Snow o (D) Glaze 28. Which is TRUE when a high pressure system is centered north of your vessel in the Northern Hemisphere? o (A) The winds should be from the southwest at your location o (B) The winds should be brisk o (C) You should experience hot, moist, clear weather (D) The wind direction is generally easterly Page 7 of 20
29. Which clouds are described as high clouds, composed of small white flakes or scaly globular masses, and often banded together to form a "mackerel sky"? o (A) Altostratus o (B) Cirrus o (C) Cumulonimbus (D) Cirrocumulus 30. You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 5.5 knots on course 033 T, and bears 284 T at 43 miles from you. What is the course to steer and running time at 16 knots to intercept vessel A? o (A) 265, 3h 13m (B) 303, 2h 32m o (C) 265, 2h 32m o (D) 303, 3h 13m 31. Which feature, when set to zero, might allow a GPS unit to have an accuracy equivalent to Precise Positioning Service receiver capability? (A) Selective Availability o (B) Transit o (C) Anti-spoofing o (D) Auto-correlation 32. You are underway and pass by a lighthouse. Its light, which was white since you first sighted it, changes to red. What does this indicate? (A) That you have entered an area of shoal water or other hazard o (B) It is the identifying light characteristic of the lighthouse o (C) The lighthouse has lost power and has switched to emergency lighting o (D) The light is characterized as alternately flashing 33. Which is TRUE concerning weather information? o (A) It is available through VHF-FM continuous marine weather broadcasts provided by the National Weather Service o (B) Weather information is available through commercial radio broadcasts o (C) Weather information is available on scheduled marine information broadcasts (D) All of the above Page 8 of 20
34. You are underway and intend to make good a course of 350 T. You experience a current with a set and drift of 070 T at 1.5 knots, and a westerly wind produces a leeway of 4. You adjust your course to compensate for the current and leeway, while maintaining an engine speed of 10 knots. What will be your speed made good over your intended course of 350 T? o (A) 9.4 knots o (B) 9.8 knots (C) 10. 2 knots o (D) 10.6 knots 35. What is the reference datum mean high water used to measure? (A) Heights of topographical features in the United States o (B) Both heights and soundings worldwide o (C) Soundings on the east coast of the United States o (D) Soundings in European waters 36. Which measurment uses mean high water as the reference plane? (A) Heights above water of land features such as lights o (B) All vertical measurements on charts o (C) Water depths on the East Coast only o (D) Soundings on the East and West Coasts 37. The climate of the northern Gulf coast. o (A) varies from warm to subtropical o (B) is humid and subtropical throughout the year o (C) has an east coast marine type of climate (D) is a warm marine type of climate 38. The time meridian that is used when computing the currents for Pensacola Bay, Florida, is. o (A) 60 W o (B) 75 W (C) 90 W o (D) 105 W Page 9 of 20
39. When changing from a compass course to a true course, which should you apply? o (A) Deviation only o (B) A correction for the direction of current set o (C) Variation only (D) Both variation and deviation 40. You are on course 222 T and take a relative bearing of a lighthouse of 025. What is the true bearing to the lighthouse? o (A) 335 o (B) 315 o (C) 197 (D) 247 41. An air mass that has moved down from Canada would most likely have which symbols? (A) cpk o (B) mtk o (C) ctw o (D) ctk 42. Your chart indicates that there is an isolated rock and names the rock using vertical letters. What does this indicate? (A) The rock is a small islet o (B) The exact position of the rock is doubtful o (C) The rock is a hazard to deep draft vessels only o (D) The rock is visible at low water springs only 43. In the Northern Hemisphere, if your vessel is in a hurricane's navigable semicircle where should you positioned the wind relative to the vessel? o (A) On the starboard bow and heave to until the hurricane has passed o (B) On the port bow, hold course and make as much speed as possible until the hurricane has passed o (C) On the port quarter, maintain course and make as much speed as possible (D) On the starboard quarter, hold course and make as much speed as possible Page 10 of 20
44. Weather patterns in the Gulf area of the United States are. o (A) extremely hot in summer (B) those of a transition zone between tropical and a temperate area o (C) tropical over Florida and subtropical over the rest of the Gulf Coast area o (D) those of a tropical region 45. While steering a course of 150 T, you wish to observe a body for a latitude check. What would the azimuth have to be? (A) 000 T o (B) 090 T o (C) 240 T o (D) 150 T 46. If the current and wind are in opposite directions, what does the sea surface indicate? o (A) The surface indicates a greatly reduced wind speed (B) The surface indicates a higher wind speed than what really exists o (C) The surface indicates a lower wind speed than what really exists o (D) The surface does not change, each cancels the other 47. The chart of a beach area shows a very flat slope to the underwater beach bottom. What type of breakers can be expected when trying to land a boat on this beach? o (A) Plunging (B) Spilling o (C) Converging o (D) Surging Page 11 of 20
48. You swung ship and compared the magnetic compass against the gyro compass to find deviation. Gyro error is 2 W. The variation is 8 W. Find the deviation on a gyro heading of 039. HEADING PSC PGC 030.5-024 061.5-054 092.0-084 122.5-114 152.0-144 181.0-174 210.0-204 239.5-234 269.0-264 298.0-294 327.5-324 358.5-354 o (A) 0.8 E o (B) 0.0 o (C) 0.5 W (D) 1.0 W 49. Which ocean current is "warm" based on the latitude in which it originates and on the effect it has on climate? (A) Kuroshio Current o (B) California Current o (C) Benguela Current o (D) Peru Current 50. How can the accuracy of an azimuth circle be checked? o (A) sighting a terrestrial range in line and comparing the observed bearing against the charted bearing o (B) ensuring that the alignment marks on the inner face of the circle are in line with those on the repeater on relative bearings of 000 and 090 (C) comparing observed azimuths at different altitudes with computed values at the times of observation to see if the difference is constant o (D) aligning the relative bearing markings so that 000 is on the lubber's line and the line of sight passes over the center of the compass Page 12 of 20
51. While steering a course of 150 T, you wish to observe the Sun for a speed check. What would the azimuth have to be? o (A) 240 T o (B) 090 T o (C) 060 T (D) 150 T 52. Which term describes the atmosphere in the vicinity of a high pressure area? o (A) Occluded front o (B) Cyclone (C) Anticyclone o (D) Cold front 53. Which is TRUE of Radiation fog? (A) It is formed by a temperature inversion o (B) It dissipates during the evening o (C) It always forms over water o (D) It is thinnest at the surface 54. When a warm air mass is adjacent to a cold air mass, the separation line between the two is called a(n). o (A) equipotential line o (B) isobar o (C) isotherm (D) front 55. Which of the following should be done when crossing the magnetic equator? o (A) the quadrantal spheres should be rotated 180 (B) heeling magnet should be inverted o (C) Flinders bar should be inverted o (D) Flinders bar should be moved to the opposite side of the binnacle Page 13 of 20
56. Which statement is TRUE concerning a Mercator projection? o (A) The mileage between the meridians is increased as the latitude increases. (B) The length of the meridians is increased to provide for equal expansion in all directions. o (C) Degrees of longitude decrease in length as latitude increases. o (D) The length of the meridians remains constant at all latitudes 57. A NAVAREA warning carries the following number; 1986/87 (11). Which statement is TRUE? o (A) The subject of this warning first appeared in 1986; this warning is in 1987 and is the eleventh on this topic. o (B) The warning was issued in 1986; the 87th sequentially numbered warning and broadcast 11 times. o (C) This warning is valid in 1986 and 1987 and is the eleventh two-year warning. (D) This is warning number 1986 issued in 1987, and it affects sub-region 11. 58. When using horizontal sextant angles of three objects to fix your position, an indeterminate position will result in which situation? o (A) The vessel is inside of a triangle formed by the objects. o (B) The vessel is outside of a triangle formed by the objects. o (C) The objects lie in a straight line. (D) A circle will pass through your position and the three objects. 59. In the North Sea area, you sight a buoy showing an uninterrupted quick-flashing white light. Which of the four topmarks shown in illustration D031NG below will this buoy be fitted with under the IALA Buoyage system? o (A) A (B) B o (C) C o (D) D 60. You are enroute to assist vessel A. Vessel A is underway at 6 knots on course 133 T, and bears 042 T, 105 miles from you. What is the time to intercept if you make 10 knots? o (A) 12h 30m o (B) 12h 44m (C) 12h 58m o (D) 13h 22m Page 14 of 20
61. 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? o (A) Closer and to the east o (B) In the same place (C) Farther away to the west o (D) Closer and to the west 62. Your vessel is making way through the water at a speed of 12 knots. Your vessel traveled 30 nautical miles in 2 hours 20 minutes. What current are you experiencing? o (A) A head current with a drift of 0.4 knots o (B) A head current with a drift of 0.9 knot (C) A following current with a drift of 0.4 knot o (D) A following current with a drift of 0.9 knots 63. Which symbol represents a 20-fathom curve? o (A) - - - - - - - - (B) -..-..-..-..- o (C) - - - - - - - - o (D) - -. - -. - -. - -. 64. Yesterday you took a time tick using the 1200 GMT broadcast, and the chronometer read 11h 59m 59s. Today at the 1200 GMT time tick the chronometer read 00h 00m 01s. What is the chronometer error? o (A) Gaining 2 seconds o (B) Losing 2 seconds o (C) Fast 2 seconds (D) Fast 1 second Page 15 of 20
65. Your vessel is enroute from Japan to Seattle and is located at position I on the weather map in illustration D013NG below. You should experience which weather condition? o (A) Overcast skies with rising temperature o (B) Steady precipitation o (C) Clear skies with warm temperatures (D) Thundershowers 66. What is the average speed of the movement of a hurricane following the recurvature of its track? o (A) Over 60 knots (B) 20 to 30 knots o (C) 40 to 50 knots o (D) 5 to 10 knots 67. Which scale is used to estimate wind speed by observing sea conditions? (A) Beaufort scale o (B) Wind scale o (C) Coriolis scale o (D) Metric scale 68. Your vessel is proceeding up a channel, and you see a pair of range lights that are in line dead ahead. The chart indicates that the direction of this pair of lights is 283 T, and the variation is 13 E. If the heading of your vessel at the time of the sighting is 278 per standard compass, what is the deviation? o (A) 5 E o (B) 5 W o (C) 8 E (D) 8 W 69. A very light breeze that causes ripples on a small area of still water is a known by which term? o (A) Hog's breath o (B) Chinook o (C) Williwaw (D) Cat's paw Page 16 of 20
70. All straight lines represent great circle tracks on a chart based on which projection? o (A) Mercator projection o (B) Orthographic projection o (C) Polyconic projection (D) Gnomonic projection Page 17 of 20
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D013NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 18 of 20
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D031NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 19 of 20
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D041NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 20 of 20