NTN Police Map Reading and Spatial Orientation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer is traveling north on Main Street and turns left onto Oak Avenue. The officer is now heading in which direction?
- South
- East
- West (Correct answer)
- North
Correct answer: West
Turning left from a northbound direction results in traveling west.
Question 2: On a city map, a suspect fled from the intersection of 3rd St and Elm Ave heading east for two blocks, then turned south for one block. What intersection is the suspect now at?
- 5th St and Elm Ave
- 3rd St and Maple Ave
- 5th St and Oak Ave (Correct answer)
- 1st St and Elm Ave
Correct answer: 5th St and Oak Ave
Moving east two blocks from 3rd St brings you to 5th St, then one block south moves you one avenue south of Elm Ave to Oak Ave.
Question 3: A map scale reads 1 inch = 0.5 miles. Two locations on the map are 6 inches apart. What is the actual distance between them?
- 2 miles
- 3 miles (Correct answer)
- 6 miles
- 12 miles
Correct answer: 3 miles
Multiply the map distance (6 inches) by the scale factor (0.5 miles per inch) to get 3 miles.
Question 4: An officer receives a call at the corner of Pine St and 7th Ave. The officer's current location is three blocks north and two blocks east of that corner. Which direction should the officer travel first to reach the call?
- North and then East
- South and then West (Correct answer)
- East and then North
- West and then South
Correct answer: South and then West
Being north and east of the destination means the officer must travel south and west to reach it.
Question 5: On a standard police patrol map, a symbol showing a small square with a cross on top typically represents which type of location?
- Hospital
- School
- Church (Correct answer)
- Police Station
Correct answer: Church
A square with a cross on top is the conventional map symbol for a church or place of worship.
Question 6: Officer Chen is traveling westbound on Highway 40 and needs to take the exit heading to the city center located to the south. Which type of exit ramp should Officer Chen use?
- A right-side exit ramp (Correct answer)
- A left-side exit ramp
- Any exit ramp available
- Officer should make a U-turn first
Correct answer: A right-side exit ramp
Traveling westbound, south is to the officer's left; however, highway exit ramps typically require moving to the right side of the road, and in the US exits are usually on the right.
Question 7: A dispatcher tells an officer that the incident occurred two blocks south of City Hall and one block east of the library. The officer knows City Hall is at the corner of 5th Ave and Central St, and the library is one block west of City Hall. Where did the incident occur?
- 3rd Ave and Central St (Correct answer)
- 3rd Ave and East St
- 7th Ave and Central St
- 5th Ave and East St
Correct answer: 3rd Ave and Central St
Two blocks south of 5th Ave is 3rd Ave; the library is at 4th Ave and West St, and one block east of it is Central St, giving the intersection of 3rd Ave and Central St.
NTN Police Map Reading and Spatial Orientation 1
An officer is traveling north on Main Street and turns left onto Oak Avenue.
The officer is now heading in which direction?