National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners Q113 Navigation General-Near Coastal (Sample Examination) Page 1 of 18
Choose the best answer to the following Multiple Choice questions. 1. 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? (A) A following current with a drift of 0.4 knot o (B) A head current with a drift of 0.4 knots o (C) A head current with a drift of 0.9 knot o (D) A following current with a drift of 0.9 knots 2. What results when warm moist air blows over a colder surface and is cooled below its dew point? (A) Advection fog o (B) Ice fog o (C) Frost smoke o (D) Radiation fog 3. Before a magnetic compass is adjusted certain correctors must be checked to ensure that they are free of permanent magnetism. Which are the correctors? (A) Flinders bar and quadrantal spheres o (B) dip needle and heeling magnet o (C) heeling magnet and Flinders bar o (D) fore-and-aft and athwartships magnets 4. Which of the following is a standard correction applied to the reading of an aneroid barometer? o (A) Temperature o (B) Wind speed o (C) Latitude (D) Elevation Page 2 of 18
5. Determine the approximate geographic visibility of an object, with a height above the water of 85 feet (25.9 meters), for an observer with a height of eye of 60 feet (18.3 meters). o (A) 18.4 nm (B) 19.9 nm o (C) 20.8 nm o (D) 21.5 nm 6. 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) 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 (C) comparing observed azimuths at different altitudes with computed values at the times of observation to see if the difference is constant o (D) 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 7. Which of the following causes a frontal thunderstorm? o (A) Wind being pushed up a mountain o (B) Pronounced local heating (C) A warm air mass rising over a cold air mass o (D) An increased lapse rate caused by advection of warm surface air 8. You are in a buoyed channel at night and pass a lighted buoy with an irregular characteristic. Who should you report this to? o (A) The harbor master o (B) The Corps of Engineers (C) The Coast Guard o (D) The National Ocean Service 9. Weather warnings such as gale, storm and hurricane warnings are based on which criteria? (A) The wind speed forecasted o (B) The wave heights forecasted o (C) The amount of cloud cover forecasted o (D) The amount of rain forecasted Page 3 of 18
10. You are underway on course 050 T and your maximum speed is 11 knots. The eye of a hurricane bears 070 T, 80 miles from your position. The hurricane is moving towards 270 T at 19 knots. If you maneuver at 11 knots to avoid the hurricane, what could be the maximum CPA? o (A) 74 miles o (B) 79 miles o (C) 84 miles (D) 66 miles 11. Which term is given to a light that has a light period shorter than its dark period? o (A) Occulting (B) Flashing o (C) Alternating o (D) Pulsating 12. Automatic identification systems (AIS) are required to do which of the following? o (A) provide safety-related information automatically to shore stations, other vessels and aircraft o (B) exchange safety-related information with shore-based facilities o (C) receive safety-related information automatically from similarly equipped vessels (D) All of the above 13. What is indicated when slanted letters are used to spell the name of a charted object? (A) The object is underwater or floating o (B) The position is approximate or doubtful o (C) The object is always visible o (D) The object is a hazard to vessels drawing 20 feet draft 14. Which symbol represents a 2-fathom curve? o (A) -- -- -- o (B)...... o (C)... (D).......... Page 4 of 18
15. When a low pressure area is approaching, which is generally TRUE of the weather? o (A) The weather is unpredictable (B) The weather worsens o (C) The weather remains the same o (D) The weather improves 16. What does a white buoy with an orange circle marked on it indicate? o (A) Vessels are excluded from the area o (B) Danger o (C) A mooring buoy (D) Operating restrictions are in effect 17. In waters where the cardinal system is used where would you expect to find danger? (A) Lying to the south of a northern quadrant buoy o (B) Lying to the south of an eastern quadrant buoy o (C) Lying to the east of an eastern quadrant buoy o (D) Beneath or directly adjacent to the buoy 18. Which is a characteristic of warm air masses? o (A) Heavy precipitation (B) Stratiform clouds o (C) Good visibility o (D) Turbulence within the mass 19. The shoreline shown on nautical charts of areas affected by large tidal fluctuations is usually the line of mean. (A) high water o (B) tide level o (C) low water o (D) lower low water Page 5 of 18
20. You are radar scanning for a buoy fitted with a racon. In illustration D017NG below, which radar screen represents the presentation you should expect on the PPI? o (A) A (B) B o (C) C o (D) D 21. The four standard light colors used for lighted aids to navigation are red, green, white, and. o (A) blue o (B) purple (C) yellow o (D) orange 22. The velocity of the apparent wind can be more than the true wind, and come from the same direction, if certain conditions are present. One condition is that the. o (A) ship's speed must be less than the true wind velocity o (B) true wind velocity must be faster than the ship's speed (C) true wind must be from dead ahead o (D) true wind must be from dead astern 23. In the Northern Hemisphere, what do winds veering sharply to the west or northwest with increasing speed indicate? o (A) A stationary front exists o (B) A low pressure center is approaching o (C) A high pressure center has passed (D) A cold front has passed 24. Your vessel is steering 143 T at 16 knots. At 2147 a light bears 106 T and at 2206 the same light bears 078 T. What will be your distance off when abeam? o (A) 5.1 miles o (B) 5.4 miles (C) 5.9 miles o (D) 6.5 miles Page 6 of 18
25. Which navigational equipment is required to be tested and logged before a towing vessel embarks on a voyage of more than 24 hours? o (A) Radar(s) and VHF radio(s) o (B) Compass and/or swing meter o (C) GPS receiver(s) (D) All required navigational equipment, without exception 26. The survey information upon which a chart is based is found at which location? (A) Near the chart title o (B) At any convenient location o (C) At the top center of the next line o (D) At the lower left corner 27. By what means are indications of the master gyrocompass sent to remote repeaters? (A) by transmitter o (B) by phantom element o (C) by follow-up system o (D) by azimuth motor 28. What do red sectors of navigation lights warn mariners of? (A) Shoals or nearby land o (B) Heavily trafficked areas o (C) Recently sunken vessels o (D) Floating debris 29. You wish to check the deviation of your standard magnetic compass. You find a natural range that you steer for and note that the gyrocompass heading is 034, and the heading by standard magnetic compass is 026. The gyro error is 1 W. Variation is 9 E. What is the deviation for that heading? (A) 2 W o (B) 0 o (C) 2 E o (D) 9 E Page 7 of 18
30. Which clouds is a thin, whitish, high cloud popularly known as "mares' tails"? o (A) Stratus (B) Cirrus o (C) Cumulus o (D) Altostratus 31. What is the color scheme of navigational marks used for informational or regulatory purposes? o (A) Solid yellow o (B) Red and white vertically-striped (C) White with orange geometric shapes o (D) Green and red horizontally-banded 32. Information about the direction and velocity of rotary tidal currents is found in the. o (A) Tide Tables (B) Tidal Current Tables o (C) Nautical Almanac o (D) Mariner's Guide 33. You are sailing south on the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) when you sight a red nun buoy with a yellow square painted on it. Which of the following is TRUE? o (A) The yellow square is in error and it should be a yellow triangle. (B) You should leave the buoy on your port hand. o (C) The yellow is retro-reflective material used to assist in sighting the buoy at night. o (D) This buoy marks the end of the ICW in that geographic area. 34. A position obtained by applying ONLY your vessel's course and speed to a known position is a. (A) dead-reckoning position o (B) fix o (C) probable position o (D) running fix Page 8 of 18
35. When utilizing a Pacific Coast chart, which is the reference plane of soundings? (A) Mean lower low water o (B) Mean low water springs o (C) Mean lowest water o (D) Lowest normal low water 36. You will find information about the duration of slack water in the. o (A) Tide Tables o (B) American Practical Navigator o (C) Sailing Directions (D) Tidal Current Tables 37. The velocity of the wind, its steady direction, and the amount of time it has blown determines what about a wind driven current? o (A) Its density o (B) Its deflection o (C) Its temperature (D) Its speed 38. The magnetic compass magnets are acted on by the horizontal component of the Earth's total magnetic force. Where is this magnetic forcethe GREATEST? o (A) At the north magnetic pole (B) At the magnetic equator o (C) At the magnetic prime vertical meridian o (D) At the south magnetic pole 39. Which theoretical minimum number of measurements from satellites does a GPS receiver need in order to provide an exact three-dimensional position? o (A) Five (B) Four o (C) Three o (D) Two Page 9 of 18
40. You are on course 357 T and take a relative bearing of a lighthouse of 180. What is the true bearing to the lighthouse? (A) 177 o (B) 227 o (C) 363 o (D) 003 41. What does a slow, gradual fall of the barometer indicate? o (A) Expect gale force winds within 12 hours o (B) expect heavy, wind driven rain (C) Expect deteriorating or unsettled weather o (D) expect blizzard conditions 42. When recording the wind direction in the weather log, which information would you report? o (A) The duration of the maximum gust of wind o (B) The direction the wind is blowing toward o (C) The wind chill factor (D) The direction the wind is blowing from 43. If your weather bulletin shows the center of a low pressure area to be 100 miles due east of your position, what winds can you expect in the Northern Hemisphere? o (A) South to southeast (B) North to northwest o (C) East to southeast o (D) East to northeast 44. How can you follow the approach of a dangerous cyclonic storm? o (A) By monitoring the change in the sea temperature (B) By a newspaper, a weather map, a weather fax, or a weather forecast o (C) Review the Coast Pilot or Sailing Directions o (D) Utilizing the National Weather Service Observing Handbook No.1, Marine Surface Observations Page 10 of 18
45. In the IALA Maritime Buoyage System, what is a red and white vertically-striped buoy used to indicate? o (A) Isolated danger o (B) Preferred channel o (C) A special mark not primarily used for navigation (D) Safe water 46. In illustration D044NG below, what type of buoy is indicated by the letter A? (A) Can o (B) Pillar o (C) Spar o (D) Nun 47. When reporting wind direction, how should you give the direction? (A) In true degrees o (B) In isobaric degrees o (C) In relative degrees o (D) In magnetic compass degrees 48. When you are steering on a pair of range lights and find the upper light is above the lower light you should. o (A) come left o (B) come right (C) continue on the present course o (D) wait until the lights are no longer in a vertical line 49. Which is TRUE concerning Wind velocity? o (A) It varies inversely with the barometric pressure o (B) It varies inversely with the absolute humidity o (C) It varies directly with the temperature of the air mass (D) It varies directly with the pressure gradient Page 11 of 18
50. Which name is given to the pressure-sensitive element of an aneroid barometer? (A) Sylphon cell o (B) Pressure bellows o (C) Column of mercury o (D) Constant pressure capsule 51. Which wind results from a land mass cooling more quickly at night than an adjacent water area? (A) Land breeze o (B) Mistral o (C) Coastal breeze o (D) Sea breeze 52. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, which category is a yellow buoy? o (A) A cardinal mark o (B) A safe water buoy o (C) A junction buoy (D) A special purpose mark 53. The climate of the eastern Gulf coast. o (A) has an east coast marine type of climate o (B) is humid and subtropical throughout the year (C) varies from warm to subtropical o (D) has a Mediterranean type of climate 54. A line connecting all possible positions of your vessel at any given time is a. o (A) longitude line o (B) fix o (C) latitude line (D) line of position Page 12 of 18
55. What benefit is a weather bulletin to a mariner? o (A) It provides a legal reason to cancel a projected voyage. o (B) It allows the mariner to make long term weather forecasts. o (C) It is of little benefit since the weather changes frequently and rapidly. (D) It gives the mariner time to prepare for weather changes. 56. Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding automatic identification systems (AIS)? o (A) AIS is designed to replace ARPA, maneuvering boards, and visual bearings as a means to ascertain the risk of collision. o (B) AIS can be relied upon as the sole means to determine risk of collision and safe speed. (C) AIS provides the other vessel's identity, type and navigational status regardless of visibility. o (D) AIS will not provide information on another vessel if that vessel is indistinguishable in radar sea clutter. 57. A vessel sighting a northern right whale dead ahead should take which action? o (A) Report the whale's position to the Canadian Coast Guard o (B) Maintain course and speed (C) Immediately leave the area at slow speed o (D) Sound the vessel's whistle to alert the animal 58. What does a wind vane on a moving vessel show? o (A) The estimated wind direction (B) The apparent wind direction o (C) The dead reckoning wind direction o (D) The true wind direction 59. Which is TRUE of the dangerous semicircle of a typhoon in the Southern Hemisphere? (A) It is the area to the left of the storm's track o (B) The area is measured from due south clockwise 180 o (C) It is measured from due south counterclockwise 180 o (D) It is ahead of the typhoon measured from the storm's track to 90 on each side Page 13 of 18
60. Which is TRUE of an aneroid barometer on a vessel? o (A) It should located in an air-conditioned area o (B) It should be mounted in the passenger compartment (C) It should be permanently mounted o (D) It should be protected by a collision bulkhead 61. While navigating in fog off a coastline of steep cliffs, you hear the echo of the ships fog horn 3 1/2 seconds after the signal was sounded. What is the distance to the shore? o (A) 143 yards o (B) 480 yards o (C) 315 yards (D) 640 yards 62. Which statement is TRUE concerning a Mercator projection? o (A) Degrees of longitude decrease in length as latitude increases. (B) The length of the meridians is increased to provide for equal expansion in all directions. o (C) The mileage between the meridians is increased as the latitude increases. o (D) The length of the meridians remains constant at all latitudes 63. What color is a triangular daymark? (A) Red o (B) Green and white o (C) Green o (D) Red and white 64. The owner or Master of a towing vessel shall ensure that all tests and inspections of gear take place. When are these actions required to be logged? o (A) Weekly, before 2400 Saturday o (B) Daily, at 0800 local zone time (C) When a new Master assumes command o (D) Immediately after assuming the watch Page 14 of 18
65. 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) Glaze o (C) Snow o (D) Dew 66. What is the approximate geographic range of Fenwick Island Light, Delaware, if your height of eye is 42 feet (12.8 meters)? Refer to "Reprints from the LIGHT LISTS AND COAST PILOTS". (A) 18.3 nm o (B) 10.3 nm o (C) 13.1 nm o (D) 15.4 nm 67. Which term describes the temperature at which the air is saturated with water vapor and below which condensation of water vapor will occur? o (A) Absolute humidity (B) Dew point o (C) Precipitation point o (D) Vapor point 68. You take a bearing of 086 of a lighthouse. What bearing of another object would give the best fix? (A) 000 o (B) 066 o (C) 112 o (D) 271 69. You are on course 344 T and take a relative bearing of a lighthouse of 270. What is the true bearing to the lighthouse? o (A) 016 o (B) 074 o (C) 090 (D) 254 Page 15 of 18
70. Some lights used as aids to marine navigation have a red sector to indicate a danger area. The limits of a colored sector of a light are listed in the Light List in which of the following manners? (A) True bearings as observed from the ship toward the light o (B) An outline of the area of the sector o (C) Geographical positions outlining the area of the sector o (D) True bearings as observed from the light toward the ship Page 16 of 18
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D017NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 17 of 18
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D044NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 18 of 18