Map Reading and Spatial Orientation Flashcards

An officer is traveling east on Maple Ave and turns left at the intersection with 5th Street. What direction is the officer now heading?

Answer: North

Turning left from an eastbound direction results in traveling north.

On a city map, a blue line with small arrows indicates:

Answer: A one-way street with the arrows showing allowed direction

Blue lines with arrows on standard city maps typically denote one-way streets, with arrows indicating the permitted direction of travel.

A suspect fleeing on foot is last seen heading northwest. If the suspect maintains that direction, which two cardinal directions are they moving between?

Answer: North and West

Northwest is the diagonal direction between north and west on a compass.

An officer's patrol map uses a scale of 1 inch = 0.5 miles. Two patrol checkpoints are 6 inches apart on the map. What is the actual distance between them?

Answer: 3 miles

6 inches × 0.5 miles per inch = 3 actual miles between the checkpoints.

When reading a street map, the term 'grid coordinates' refers to:

Answer: A letter-number system used to locate specific areas on the map

Grid coordinates use a letter-number system (e.g., B-4) to identify specific zones or blocks on a map.

An officer at the corner of Oak St and 3rd Ave needs to reach an intersection four blocks north and two blocks east. Which route covers the shortest total distance?

Answer: Both routes cover the same total distance

On a grid, any combination of moving 4 blocks north and 2 blocks east totals 6 blocks regardless of order.

A map legend shows a symbol of two parallel lines with cross-hatching between them. This most likely represents:

Answer: A railroad track

Two parallel lines with cross-hatching (ties) between them is the standard cartographic symbol for a railroad track.