NFST Map Reading and Navigation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'saddle' in topographic map reading?
- A low point between two higher elevations (Correct answer)
- The highest point on a ridge
- A depression filled with water
- A steep canyon wall
Correct answer: A low point between two higher elevations
A saddle is a low area connecting two higher points, shown on a topographic map as an hourglass-shaped arrangement of contour lines.
Question 2: On a nautical chart, a number printed in the water area typically indicates what?
- The water's temperature in degrees
- The water depth at that location (Correct answer)
- The distance to the nearest port
- The speed of prevailing currents
Correct answer: The water depth at that location
Numbers printed in water areas on nautical charts represent the depth of the water at that point, usually in feet or fathoms.
Question 3: What is 'dead reckoning' in navigation?
- Navigation using GPS satellite signals
- Estimating current position using a known past position, speed, and direction (Correct answer)
- Using celestial bodies to determine position
- Following a marked trail without a map
Correct answer: Estimating current position using a known past position, speed, and direction
Dead reckoning is the process of calculating one's current position based on a previously known position, then accounting for speed, heading, and elapsed time.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the 'relief' shown on a topographic map?
- The political boundaries between states
- The three-dimensional shape and elevation of the land surface (Correct answer)
- The location of roads and buildings
- The types of vegetation in an area
Correct answer: The three-dimensional shape and elevation of the land surface
Relief on a topographic map refers to the representation of the three-dimensional shape of the terrain, primarily shown through contour lines.
Question 5: A map's 'projection' refers to which of the following?
- The method used to print the map
- The mathematical method used to represent the curved Earth on a flat surface (Correct answer)
- The scale at which the map was drawn
- The year the map was last updated
Correct answer: The mathematical method used to represent the curved Earth on a flat surface
Map projection is the mathematical transformation used to represent the spherical Earth on a flat, two-dimensional map, which always introduces some distortion.
Question 6: In the U.S. Public Land Survey System (PLSS), what is a 'township'?
- Any incorporated city or town
- A 6-mile-square unit of land (Correct answer)
- A 1-mile-square section of land
- A county subdivision used for taxation
Correct answer: A 6-mile-square unit of land
In the PLSS, a township is a 6-mile by 6-mile square of land containing 36 one-mile-square sections, used to systematically divide most of the United States.
Question 7: What does an 'index contour' line look like on a topographic map compared to regular contour lines?
- It is thinner and lighter than regular lines
- It is a heavier, darker line labeled with its elevation (Correct answer)
- It is always colored blue to show water proximity
- It is a dashed line indicating uncertain terrain
Correct answer: It is a heavier, darker line labeled with its elevation
Index contours are thicker, darker lines drawn at every fifth contour interval and are labeled with their elevation to make it easier to read the map.
NFST Map Reading and Navigation 4
What is a 'saddle' in topographic map reading?