CORE CORE Land Navigation and Orienteering 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does the contour interval on a topographic map represent?
- The distance between two map grid lines
- The vertical elevation difference between adjacent contour lines (Correct answer)
- The horizontal distance between two landmarks
- The scale ratio of the map
Correct answer: The vertical elevation difference between adjacent contour lines
The contour interval is the vertical elevation difference between two adjacent contour lines on a topographic map.
Question 2: When using a baseplate compass in the field, what is the purpose of declination adjustment?
- To account for the difference between true north and magnetic north (Correct answer)
- To measure the slope gradient of a hillside
- To calculate the straight-line distance between two points
- To orient the map to the terrain
Correct answer: To account for the difference between true north and magnetic north
Declination adjustment corrects for the angular difference between true geographic north and magnetic north at a given location.
Question 3: Which map symbol typically indicates a depression or closed low point in terrain?
- Contour lines with tick marks pointing inward (Correct answer)
- Blue shading on the map surface
- Widely spaced parallel lines
- A filled black circle
Correct answer: Contour lines with tick marks pointing inward
Closed contour lines with small tick marks (hachures) pointing toward the center indicate a depression on a topographic map.
Question 4: In land navigation, what is a 'bearing'?
- The weight capacity of a trail
- A horizontal angle measured clockwise from north to a target direction (Correct answer)
- The vertical rise over horizontal run of a slope
- The grid coordinate of a fixed landmark
Correct answer: A horizontal angle measured clockwise from north to a target direction
A bearing is a horizontal direction expressed as an angle measured clockwise from north (0°–360°) toward a destination.
Question 5: What technique involves using two or more known landmarks to determine your current position on a map?
- Dead reckoning
- Triangulation (resection) (Correct answer)
- Pace counting
- Terrain association
Correct answer: Triangulation (resection)
Triangulation (resection) uses back-bearings from two or more known landmarks to intersect lines on a map and pinpoint your location.
Question 6: What does UTM stand for in map coordinate systems commonly used in US outdoor recreation?
- Universal Terrain Mapping
- Unified Trail Measurement
- Universal Transverse Mercator (Correct answer)
- Uniform Topographic Model
Correct answer: Universal Transverse Mercator
UTM stands for Universal Transverse Mercator, a grid-based coordinate system widely used for land navigation and GPS in the United States.
CORE CORE Land Navigation and Orienteering 1
What does the contour interval on a topographic map represent?