National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners Q388 Navigation General-Rivers (Sample Examination) Page 1 of 14
Choose the best answer to the following Multiple Choice Questions. 1. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers, which is TRUE of a preferred channel buoy? o (A) It shall be vertically-striped red and white o (B) It shall be solid green o (C) It shall be solid red (D) It shall be horizontally-banded red and green 2. 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? o (A) Dew o (B) Snow (C) Frost o (D) Glaze 3. Which type of daymark is used to mark the starboard side of the channel when entering from sea? (A) Red triangle o (B) Red and white octagon o (C) Black and white diamond o (D) Green square 4. Which term defines a submerged dike extending from the bank of the river used to train the channel? o (A) A cutoff o (B) A landwall o (C) A towhead (D) A wingdam Page 2 of 14
5. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System, a special mark possesses which of the following characteristics? (A) May show a yellow light with a flashing rhythm o (B) May show a light with the Morse code "A" rhythm o (C) Must be lighted with a fixed or flashing white light o (D) Must be lighted with a yellow isophase light 6. You are holding position above Gallipolis Lock and Dam when you hear two long blasts of the horn from the lock. This indicates that you should take which action? o (A) Hold position for two upbound tows o (B) Enter the landward chamber (C) Enter the riverward chamber o (D) Hold position until the lower gates are closed 7. How is the draw span of a floating drawbridge marked? o (A) With a flashing blue lights o (B) With three red lights on each side of the draw o (C) With a yellow and white diamond (D) With a yellow light showing Morse Code (B) 8. The light characteristic of flashing is used in the Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers. Which example is required to utilize this characteristic? o (A) Preferred channel buoys o (B) Lights marking the left descending bank o (C) Daymarks with no lateral significance (D) Lights marking the right descending bank 9. A towboat is pushing barges ahead at a dangerously fast speed when. (A) water comes over the foredeck of the lead barges o (B) the towboat vibrates when backing down o (C) a strain is placed on the face wires o (D) the roostertail exceeds the height of the main deck Page 3 of 14
10. The datum from which the predicted heights of tides are reckoned in the tide tables is. o (A) the highest possible level o (B) given in table three of the tide tables (C) the same as that used for the charts of the locality o (D) mean low water 11. When does a Doppler speed log indicate speed over ground? (A) When senseing the bottom in depths of less than 600 feet o (B) The unit can only speed over ground when there is no current o (C) At all times o (D) When the unit is in the volume reverberation mode 12. By convention, what color is the south pole of a magnet painted? (A) Blue o (B) Red o (C) Black o (D) White 13. A bluff bar is a bar. o (A) extending out from a bluff alongside the river (B) that has a sharp drop off into deep water o (C) that is perpendicular to the current o (D) that tends to give a false indication of its position If choice B is selected set score to 1. 14. Which of the Nautical Texts is/are published by the U.S. Coast Guard? o (A) Radio Navigational Aids o (B) U.S. Coast Pilots (C) Light Lists o (D) All of the above Page 4 of 14
15. What can be expected with the presence of stratus clouds and a dying wind? o (A) Clearing skies o (B) Heavy rain o (C) Heavy snow (D) Thick fog 16. Prior to reading an aneroid barometer, why should you tap the face lightly with your finger? o (A) To contract and expand the glass face o (B) To demagnetize the metal elements o (C) To expose any loose connections (D) To bring the pointer to its true position 17. Which term describes a tow that is properly aligned to pass through a narrow opening between two bridge piers or any other critical navigational maneuver? o (A) On course o (B) Headed fair (C) In shape o (D) Holding on 18. If you observe a rapid fall of barometric pressure which action should you take? o (A) Contact the NWS or a local radio station o (B) Call the Coast Guard to verify the change (C) Prepare for the onset of stormy weather with strong winds o (D) Know the barometer is not working properly 19. Fog generally clears when the. o (A) wind speed increases o (B) wind direction changes o (C) temperature increases (D) All of the above Page 5 of 14
20. Which term is used to describe a generally circular low pressure area? (A) A cyclone o (B) A cold front o (C) An occluded front o (D) An anticyclone 21. If within 500 yards (460m) of a Northern Right Whale you are lawfully obligated to take which actions? o (A) Slow to bare steerageway until the whale swims away o (B) Turn away from the whale and leave at full speed o (C) Stop the vessel and sound repeated blasts on the ship's whistle to scare the whale away (D) Turn away from the whale and leave at slow speed 22. Which term is used to describe the wind speed and direction observed from a moving vessel? o (A) The coordinate wind (B) The apparent wind o (C) The true wind o (D) The anemometer wind If choice B is selected set score to 1. 23. Temperature and moisture characteristics are modified in a warm or cold air mass due to which factor? o (A) Upper level atmospheric changes o (B) The heterogeneous nature of the air mass (C) Movement of the air mass o (D) Pressure changes in the air mass 24. Information markers, when lighted, will display which color light? (A) White lights o (B) Red lights o (C) Green lights o (D) Yellow lights Page 6 of 14
25. What color lights do lighted information markers display? (A) White lights o (B) Green lights o (C) Yellow lights o (D) Red lights 26. Which of the following is a boundary between two air masses? o (A) Continent o (B) Lapse rate o (C) Isobar (D) Front 27. What does the symbol shown in illustration D033NG below indicate on a chart? o (A) A red and white can buoy (B) A safe water beacon o (C) A can buoy with a rotating white light o (D) A sunken vessel marked by a buoy If choice B is selected set score to 1. 28. The dry-bulb temperature is 78 F (26 C) and the wet-bulb temperature is 68 F (20 C). What is the relative humidity? o (A) 10% o (B) 24% o (C) 56% (D) 60% 29. What is published by the U.S. Coast Guard? o (A) Tide Tables o (B) Nautical Charts (C) Light List o (D) U.S. Coast Pilot Page 7 of 14
30. When is a revised print of a chart made? (A) When a low-stock situation occurs and minor corrections are made o (B) Every two years to update the magnetic variation information o (C) When there are numerous corrections to be made or the corrections are extensive o (D) After every major hydrographic survey of the area covered by the chart 31. Green lights may appear on which buoys? o (A) Yellow buoys o (B) Spherical buoys o (C) Vertically striped buoys (D) Horizontally banded buoys 32. How may a spherical buoy be identified? o (A) It may be red o (B) It may be green o (C) It may be numbered (D) It may be lettered 33. Under the IALA Buoyage Systems, which is TRUE of safe water marks? o (A) They must show a composite group-flashing, Fl(2 + 1), green light o (B) They may show a quick-flashing, Q(9)15s, white light o (C) They may show a composite group-flashing, Fl(2 + 1), red light (D) They may show a white Morse (A) light 34. You sight a buoy fitted with a double-sphere topmark. If sighted at night, what color and light sequence would you expect to see? o (A) A quick-flashing red light o (B) A quick-flashing green light (C) A flashing white light showing a group of two flashes o (D) A flashing red light showing a group of three flashes Page 8 of 14
35. What weather change accompanies the passage of a cold front in the Northern Hemisphere? o (A) Steady precipitation, gradually increasing in intensity (B) A line of cumulonimbus clouds o (C) Wind shift from northeast clockwise to southwest o (D) Steady dropping of barometric pressure If choice B is selected set score to 1. 36. In the IALA Buoyage System, what do buoys with alternating red and green horizontal bands indicate? (A) The preferred channel o (B) An isolated danger o (C) Fishing areas o (D) Spoil grounds 37. You are approaching a vertical lift bridge. How do you know when the span is fully open? o (A) A yellow light is illuminated on the bridge pier o (B) Three white lights in a vertical line are lit (C) A range of two green lights under the lift span are lit o (D) A red light starts to flash at about 60 times a minute 38. The Light List indicates that a dayboard is a type KGW. You should take which action? o (A) Leave it to port when southbound on the Atlantic Coast ICW o (B) Pass it close aboard on either side o (C) Look for a green and white diamond (D) Look for another daymark to form the range 39. The Light List shows that a navigational light has a nominal range of 18 miles and a height above water of 22 feet (6.7 meters). Your height of eye is 16 feet (4.9 meters) and the visibility is 2.0 miles. At which approximate range will you first sight the light? o (A) 2.0 miles o (B) 2.7 miles o (C) 4.2 miles (D) 5.8 miles Page 9 of 14
40. You are entering an east coast port and see a buoy with a yellow triangle painted on it. What does the symbol indicate? (A) You are in the vicinity of the ICW o (B) The buoy designates a sharp turn in the channel o (C) The buoy is a special mark o (D) The buoy is off station 41. Buoys are marked with reflective material to assist in their detection by searchlight. Which statement is TRUE? o (A) All reflective material is white because it is the most visible at night. (B) A preferred-channel buoy displays either red or green reflective material to agree with the top band of color. o (C) A special-purpose mark will display either red or green reflective material to agree with its shape. o (D) A safe-water buoy will display red and white vertical stripes of reflective material. If choice B is selected set score to 1. 42. What are the only magnetic compass correctors that correct for both permanent and induced effects of magnetism? o (A) Quadrantal spheres (B) Heeling magnets o (C) Athwartships magnets o (D) Fore-and-aft magnets If choice B is selected set score to 1. 43. While upbound through Memphis, the weather report on TV news indicates that a warm front is stationary over the Kentucky - Missouri - Tennessee areas. What weather conditions should you expect? (A) Southerly winds with steady rain; fog or overcast o (B) Light winds from the northeast with clear skies o (C) Strong, gusting winds from the NW with thundershowers o (D) A "blue norther" Page 10 of 14
44. Under the U.S. Aids to Navigation System on the Western Rivers, what color are the buoys marking the starboard side of the channel when going upstream? o (A) Black o (B) Yellow (C) Red o (D) Green 45. Which information does the outer ring of a compass rose on a nautical chart provide? (A) True directions o (B) Magnetic directions o (C) Variation o (D) Annual rate of variation change 46. While passing through Memphis, the weather report on the TV news indicates that a cold front is crossing western Kentucky and Tennessee. Tomorrow's weather will be dominated by a high pressure area. What weather should you expect tomorrow? o (A) Low overcast; mild temperatures with light, steady rain or drizzle o (B) Scattered clouds with light, southeasterly winds; high humidity and possibly fog (C) Moderate winds from the northwest, clear visibility and cooler temperatures o (D) Light, southerly winds; high humidity and possibly fog 47. When operated over a muddy bottom, a fathometer may indicate which of the following? (A) Two depth readings o (B) No depth reading o (C) A zero depth reading o (D) A shallow depth reading 48. A daymark used to indicate the safe water in a channel will have which of the shapes shown in illustration D045NG below? o (A) A o (B) B (C) C o (D) D Page 11 of 14
49. How do preferred channel buoys indicate the preferred channel to transit? o (A) The location of the buoy in the channel junction o (B) The buoy's light rhythms (C) The color of their top band o (D) Odd or even numbers 50. 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 Page 12 of 14
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D033NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 13 of 14
National Maritime Center Providing Credentials to Mariners D045NG 5/23/2016 Adapted for testing purposes only Further reproduction prohibited without permission Page 14 of 14