Spinnaker Sailing
Navigation and Weather Quiz
These questions and their answers are gleaned from the USCG Mariners Tests, and we trust in them for their accuracy. There are over 700 questions regarding weather and navigation here and all quiz questions are picked randomly. Questions are graded individually and you do not have to answer all questions to check your answers. Don't be discouraged if you miss a few questions, some of them are pretty hard. However, the more you take this test the more you will learn!
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Question 1 - "Stand" of the tide is that time when ...
) the vertical rise or fall of the tide has stopped
) slack water occurs
) tidal current is at a maximum
) the actual depth of the water equals the charted depth

Question 2 - Radiation fog ...
) always forms over water
) is formed by a temperature inversion
) is thinnest at the surface
) dissipates during the evening

Question 3 - Which current is responsible for the movement of icebergs into the North Atlantic shipping lanes?
) Iceland Current
) Baltic Current
) Labrador Current
) Baffin Current

Question 4 - What is the basic principle of the magnetic compass?
) Magnetic materials of the same polarity repel each other and those of opposite polarity attract.
) The Earth's magnetic lines of force are parallel to the surface of the Earth.
) Magnetic meridians connect points of equal magnetic variation.
) The compass needle(s) will, when properly compensated, lie parallel to the isogonic lines of the Earth.

Question 5 - Coast Pilots and navigational charts are kept corrected and up-to-date by using the ...
) pilot charts
) Notices to Mariners
) Tide Tables
) Current Tables

Question 6 - The speed at which an ocean wave system advances is called ...
) wave length
) ripple length
) group velocity
) wave velocity

Question 7 - Daylight savings time is a form of zone time that adopts the time ...
) two zones to the west
) two zones to the east
) one zone to the west
) one zone to the east

Question 8 - Loran-C uses the multiple pulse system because ...
) less signal energy is necessary for receiver operation
) more signal energy is available at the receiver
) it significantly increases the peak power
) it increases the signal capacity

Question 9 - A facility used for the discharge of a cargo of a particular hazard, such as chlorine, butane or ethane, must have what to warn water traffic of an immediate danger during fire or cargo release?
) An emergency boat and crew
) A siren or rotating flashing light
) Flashing red lights located one-half mile upstream and downstream of the facility
) Buoys with flashing lights controlled from shore, located one-half mile upstream and downstream of the facility

Question 10 - In addition to the National Weather Service, what agency provides plain-language radio weather advisories for the coastal waters of the United States?
) U.S. Defense Mapping Agency
) U.S. Hydrological Survey
) U.S. Coast Guard
) American Meteorological Service