911 Operator Test Map Reading and Directions 4

Question 1

A caller describes seeing a 'frontage road' alongside a highway. What is a frontage road?

Accepted Answer

A local road running parallel to a highway providing access to nearby properties

Answer

Frontage roads (also called service roads) run parallel to highways and allow local access without entering the main highway lanes.

Question 2

On a map, a highway with shields labeled 'US-1' and 'SR-1' sharing the same roadway is called:

Accepted Answer

A concurrent route

Answer

When two different numbered routes share the same physical road, they are running concurrently, and both designations apply to that stretch.

Question 3

A caller says they are heading toward the city's downtown from the outskirts. On most U.S. city maps, this would be described as traveling:

Accepted Answer

Inbound

Answer

Inbound means traveling toward the city center or downtown area, while outbound means traveling away from it.

Question 4

A dispatcher receives a call from someone at 'Pier 7' at the city marina. What additional geographic detail is most important to confirm?

Accepted Answer

Which marina location, if the city has multiple marinas

Answer

Cities with multiple marinas could have a 'Pier 7' at more than one location, so confirming the specific marina is essential for dispatch.

Question 5

A caller says they were told to 'turn left at the light' three times. This type of verbal direction is problematic for dispatch because:

Accepted Answer

It doesn't use street names, making the location impossible to map precisely

Answer

Relative directions like 'left at the light' cannot be converted to a map coordinate without street names as reference points.

911 Operator Test Practice Test