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

Contour lines connect points of equal elevation. When these lines are packed closely together, it signifies a rapid change in elevation over a short horizontal distance, which represents a steep slope or cliff.

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

To calculate a back azimuth for a bearing that is less than 180 degrees, you must add 180 degrees. Therefore, the correct calculation is 65 + 180 = 245 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

A simple letter-number grid coordinate system functions by identifying the intersection of a specified column (often denoted by a letter, like "Delta") and a specified row (denoted by a number, like "5"). The point where this column and row cross is the location of the coordinates.

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

A map scale expressed as a ratio, like 1:24,000, indicates that one unit of distance on the map (such as an inch or centimeter) represents 24,000 of the same units on the ground. For example, 1 inch on the map equals 24,000 inches on the ground.

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

The primary method to orient a map with a compass is to place the compass flat on the map and then rotate the map and compass together until the printed north arrow on the map points in the same direction as the north-seeking needle of the compass. This aligns the map with magnetic north and, consequently, the surrounding terrain.

Police Officer Practice Test

Police Officer Practice Test

Police Officer Map Reading and Navigation Questions and Answers