CADET Navigation and Map Reading 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: On a military topographic map, what does a contour line represent?
- A line connecting points of equal elevation (Correct answer)
- A boundary between two military zones
- A route designated for vehicle movement
- A line marking the edge of a safe zone
Correct answer: A line connecting points of equal elevation
Contour lines connect points of equal elevation above sea level on a topographic map.
Question 2: What is the standard Canadian Forces grid reference system based on?
- Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) (Correct answer)
- Geographic coordinate system only
- Polar coordinate system
- Lambert Conformal Conic projection
Correct answer: Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM)
The Canadian Forces use the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid system for map references.
Question 3: When using a compass in the field, what is magnetic declination?
- The difference between true north and magnetic north (Correct answer)
- The angle of elevation to a landmark
- The direction of the strongest magnetic field
- The deviation caused by metal equipment
Correct answer: The difference between true north and magnetic north
Magnetic declination is the angular difference between true geographic north and magnetic north at a given location.
Question 4: On a 1:50,000 scale topographic map, what does a distance of 2 cm represent on the ground?
- 1 kilometre (Correct answer)
- 500 metres
- 2 kilometres
- 250 metres
Correct answer: 1 kilometre
At 1:50,000 scale, 1 cm equals 500 m, so 2 cm equals 1,000 m or 1 kilometre.
Question 5: What does a six-figure grid reference identify?
- A 100-metre square on the map (Correct answer)
- An exact point on the map
- A 1-kilometre square on the map
- A 10-metre square on the map
Correct answer: A 100-metre square on the map
A six-figure grid reference narrows a location to a 100-metre square on a standard military topographic map.
Question 6: Which technique is used to determine your position on a map using two or more landmarks?
- Resection (Correct answer)
- Intersection
- Dead reckoning
- Triangulation offset
Correct answer: Resection
Resection is the technique of taking bearings to known landmarks to determine your own position on a map.
CADET Navigation and Map Reading 1
On a military topographic map, what does a contour line represent?