Police Officer Map Reading and Navigation Questions and Answers

Question 1

On a standard topographic map, what do contour lines that are positioned very close together indicate?

Accepted Answer

A steep incline or cliff

Answer

A gentle slope or flat area

Answer

A body of water, like a river or lake

Answer

A man-made structure, like a road

Question 2

An officer is conducting a search in a wooded area and travels on a bearing of 65 degrees for 500 yards. To return directly to the starting point, what back azimuth should the officer use?

Accepted Answer

245 degrees

Answer

155 degrees

Answer

295 degrees

Answer

65 degrees

Question 3

A dispatcher provides the grid coordinates "Delta-5" for a reported incident. When looking at the patrol map, which is divided into a lettered and numbered grid, how should an officer locate this position?

Accepted Answer

Locate the vertical column labeled "Delta" and the horizontal row labeled "5", and find their point of intersection.

Answer

Find the row labeled "5" and then move horizontally to the point where it intersects with the line for "Delta".

Answer

Look for a landmark named "Delta-5" directly printed on the map.

Answer

Start at the center of the map and move five units east and then four units north.

Question 4

An officer's tactical map has a scale of 1:24,000. Which of the following statements correctly interprets this scale?

Accepted Answer

One unit of measurement on the map is equal to 24,000 of the same units in the real world.

Answer

One foot on the map is equal to 24,000 miles in the real world.

Answer

The map is 24,000 times larger than the area it depicts.

Answer

One centimeter on the map is equal to 24,000 feet in the real world.

Question 5

You are in a rural area and need to orient your map to your surroundings using only a compass. Which of the following is the correct fundamental procedure?

Accepted Answer

Place the compass on the map and rotate the map until the map's north arrow aligns with the magnetic north needle of the compass.

Answer

Point the map's north arrow towards a prominent landmark you can see.

Answer

Guess the direction of north and align the map accordingly.

Answer

Align the compass needle with a road on the map, then rotate your body until you face north.

Question 6

When reviewing a standard street or topographic map to identify key infrastructure, which of the following symbols is most commonly used to represent a hospital?

Accepted Answer

A cross, often in red or blue

Answer

A star inside a circle

Answer

A small airplane silhouette

Answer

An anchor