TEA Traffic Enforcement Agent Spatial Orientation and Map Reading 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Traffic Enforcement Agent needs to describe a vehicle's location as 'in front of' a building. This type of directional reference is known as:
- Cardinal direction
- Relative direction (Correct answer)
- Absolute location
- Grid reference
Correct answer: Relative direction
Relative directions describe position in relation to a reference point, such as 'in front of' or 'behind.'
Question 2: On a street grid map, odd-numbered addresses are typically found on which side of a street running north-south?
- East side (Correct answer)
- West side
- North side
- South side
Correct answer: East side
In most U.S. cities, odd-numbered addresses are on the east side of north-south streets.
Question 3: An officer is at intersection A and must reach intersection D. The route goes: A→B (north 2 blocks), B→C (east 3 blocks), C→D (south 1 block). What is the net displacement from A to D?
- 1 block north, 3 blocks east (Correct answer)
- 2 blocks north, 3 blocks east
- 1 block south, 3 blocks east
- 3 blocks east only
Correct answer: 1 block north, 3 blocks east
Net north-south: 2 north − 1 south = 1 north; net east-west: 3 east = 1 block north and 3 blocks east.
Question 4: Which term describes the imaginary lines running east to west on a map used to measure latitude?
- Meridians
- Parallels (Correct answer)
- Grid lines
- Contour lines
Correct answer: Parallels
Lines of latitude run east-west and are called parallels because they run parallel to the equator.
Question 5: A vehicle is illegally parked at the southeast corner of an intersection. An officer approaching from the north would see the vehicle to their:
- Front-left
- Front-right (Correct answer)
- Rear-left
- Rear-right
Correct answer: Front-right
Approaching from the north, east is to the officer's right and south is ahead, so the southeast corner is front-right.
Question 6: On a city map, contour lines that are very close together indicate:
- Flat terrain
- Steep terrain (Correct answer)
- A river
- A road boundary
Correct answer: Steep terrain
Closely spaced contour lines indicate rapid elevation change, meaning steep terrain.
Question 7: An officer is told a double-parked vehicle is 'mid-block' on Oak Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue. Approximately where should the officer look?
- At the 3rd Avenue intersection
- At the 4th Avenue intersection
- Halfway between 3rd and 4th Avenue (Correct answer)
- One-quarter of the way from 3rd Avenue
Correct answer: Halfway between 3rd and 4th Avenue
'Mid-block' means approximately in the middle of the block, halfway between the two cross streets.
TEA Traffic Enforcement Agent Spatial Orientation and Map Reading 3
A Traffic Enforcement Agent needs to describe a vehicle's location as 'in front of' a building.
This type of directional reference is known as: