Military Map Reading 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the standard color used to depict vegetation (woods) on a US military topographic map?
- Blue
- Brown
- Green (Correct answer)
- Yellow
Correct answer: Green
Green is the standard color used to show vegetation such as forests and woods on US military maps.
Question 2: Which method is used to determine your location on a map when you can see two or more identifiable landmarks?
- Dead reckoning
- Resection (Correct answer)
- Intersection
- Triangulation offset
Correct answer: Resection
Resection is the method of determining your own position by taking bearings to two or more known landmarks.
Question 3: On a military map, what does a 'benchmark' (BM) symbol indicate?
- A safe firing zone
- A precisely surveyed point with known elevation (Correct answer)
- A unit assembly area
- A route waypoint
Correct answer: A precisely surveyed point with known elevation
A benchmark is a precisely surveyed control point with a known elevation, used as a reference for map accuracy.
Question 4: When using the 'intersection' technique, what are you determining?
- Your own position
- The location of an unknown point or object (Correct answer)
- The direction of magnetic north
- The distance to the next checkpoint
Correct answer: The location of an unknown point or object
Intersection is used to locate an unknown point by shooting azimuths from two or more known positions.
Question 5: What does UTM stand for in military map reading?
- Uniform Terrain Measurement
- Universal Transverse Mercator (Correct answer)
- Unit Tactical Mapping
- Unified Topographic Module
Correct answer: Universal Transverse Mercator
UTM stands for Universal Transverse Mercator, a widely used coordinate system for military and civilian maps.
Question 6: A cliff is depicted on a topographic map by which of the following?
- Widely spaced contour lines
- Contour lines merging or stacking very close together (Correct answer)
- A dashed blue line
- A single bold contour line
Correct answer: Contour lines merging or stacking very close together
Cliffs appear as contour lines that are extremely close together or appear to merge, indicating a near-vertical drop.
Question 7: In military map reading, a 'depression' is best identified by which symbol?
- Contour lines with hachure marks pointing inward (Correct answer)
- A bold X symbol
- A series of dashed lines
- Outward-pointing hachures
Correct answer: Contour lines with hachure marks pointing inward
Depressions are shown by closed contour lines with short hachure marks (tick marks) pointing toward the lower interior.
Military Map Reading 3
What is the standard color used to depict vegetation (woods) on a US military topographic map?