Map Reading and Navigation Flashcards
7 cards from real State Trooper practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Map Reading and Navigation flashcards as text
A trooper receives a call in a rural township. The address given is '4200 North County Road 500 East.' What do the numbers in this address system indicate?
Answer: The property is 4.2 miles north and 5 miles east of the county's baseline origin point
Many Midwestern counties use a grid address system where numbers represent tenths of miles from baseline east-west and north-south roads.
Which compass bearing describes a direction exactly halfway between south and southwest?
Answer: 202.5 degrees
South is 180° and southwest is 225°; the midpoint is 202.5°, known as south-southwest (SSW).
A trooper is told a suspect fled 'northbound on the interstate past exit 47.' On the map, exit numbers increase toward the north. Which direction should the trooper travel to intercept?
Answer: Northbound, setting up ahead of exit 47 at a higher-numbered exit
If exit numbers increase northbound and the suspect passed exit 47 heading north, they are now beyond exit 47 at a higher-numbered exit.
What is the primary purpose of a map's 'magnetic declination' notation?
Answer: To show the difference between true north and magnetic north so compass readings can be corrected
Magnetic declination is the angular difference between true north (geographic) and magnetic north, which must be applied when using a compass with a map.
During a high-speed pursuit, a dispatcher announces the fleeing vehicle is westbound on Highway 12 approaching the junction with Route 7. What should the trooper anticipate about the suspect's next possible moves?
Answer: The suspect may turn north or south on Route 7, or continue west on Highway 12
At a junction, a driver has the option to continue straight or turn in any available direction, so troopers must consider all open routes.
On a map, a hospital symbol is located at coordinates (41.2° N, 87.5° W). A trooper at (41.1° N, 87.5° W) needs to reach the hospital. In which cardinal direction should they travel?
Answer: North
Latitude increases as you move north; the hospital at 41.2° N is north of the trooper's position at 41.1° N.
A trooper is using a sectional map. A 'section' in the Public Land Survey System covers how much land?
Answer: One square mile (640 acres)
The Public Land Survey System divides land into townships of 36 sections, each section measuring one square mile or 640 acres.