NTN Police Map Reading and Spatial Orientation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer is traveling east on Maple Ave and turns left at the intersection with 5th Street. What direction is the officer now heading?
- South
- North (Correct answer)
- West
- East
Correct answer: North
Turning left from an eastbound direction results in traveling north.
Question 2: On a city map, a blue line with small arrows indicates:
- A railroad track
- A one-way street with the arrows showing allowed direction (Correct answer)
- A pedestrian-only path
- A highway bypass route
Correct 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.
Question 3: A suspect fleeing on foot is last seen heading northwest. If the suspect maintains that direction, which two cardinal directions are they moving between?
- North and East
- South and West
- North and West (Correct answer)
- South and East
Correct answer: North and West
Northwest is the diagonal direction between north and west on a compass.
Question 4: 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?
- 3 miles (Correct answer)
- 6 miles
- 12 miles
- 0.5 miles
Correct answer: 3 miles
6 inches × 0.5 miles per inch = 3 actual miles between the checkpoints.
Question 5: When reading a street map, the term 'grid coordinates' refers to:
- The color coding used for different road types
- A letter-number system used to locate specific areas on the map (Correct answer)
- The elevation markings on a topographic overlay
- The scale bar at the bottom of the map
Correct 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.
Question 6: 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?
- Go east 2 blocks, then north 4 blocks
- Go north 4 blocks, then east 2 blocks
- Both routes cover the same total distance (Correct answer)
- Diagonal routes are always shorter on a grid
Correct 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.
Question 7: A map legend shows a symbol of two parallel lines with cross-hatching between them. This most likely represents:
- A divided highway or freeway
- A river or water body
- A railroad track (Correct answer)
- A fence or property boundary
Correct answer: A railroad track
Two parallel lines with cross-hatching (ties) between them is the standard cartographic symbol for a railroad track.
NTN Police Map Reading and Spatial Orientation 4
An officer is traveling east on Maple Ave and turns left at the intersection with 5th Street.
What direction is the officer now heading?