TEA Traffic Enforcement Agent Spatial Orientation and Map Reading 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A dispatcher says a complaint is on the 'north curb' of Elm Street between 10th and 11th Ave. When traveling eastbound on Elm Street, the north curb is to the officer's:
- Left (Correct answer)
- Right
- Front
- Rear
Correct answer: Left
When traveling east, north is to the left, so the north curb is on the left side of the road.
Question 2: A grid map uses coordinates where the x-axis runs east-west and the y-axis runs north-south. A location at coordinate (3, 5) is how many units east and north of the origin (0,0)?
- 3 east, 5 north (Correct answer)
- 5 east, 3 north
- 3 north, 5 east
- 5 north, 3 west
Correct answer: 3 east, 5 north
In standard grid coordinates, x represents east-west position and y represents north-south, so (3,5) = 3 east, 5 north.
Question 3: Two streets intersect at right angles. Street A runs northeast-southwest and Street B runs northwest-southeast. The intersection forms what type of angle?
- 45 degrees
- 60 degrees
- 90 degrees (Correct answer)
- 120 degrees
Correct answer: 90 degrees
Two streets that intersect at right angles always form 90-degree angles at their crossing.
Question 4: An officer needs to block traffic from entering a street. The most effective position would be:
- At the far end of the street
- At the entry point of the street (Correct answer)
- In the middle of the street
- One block away from the street
Correct answer: At the entry point of the street
Blocking at the entry point prevents vehicles from entering and avoids creating a congestion trap inside the street.
Question 5: A Traffic Enforcement Agent is reading a map where north is not at the top. The compass rose shows north pointing to the right. If a suspect vehicle travels toward the top of the map, which direction are they actually going?
- North
- South
- East
- West (Correct answer)
Correct answer: West
If north points right on this map, then 'up' on the map corresponds to west.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'dead reckoning' as used in field navigation?
- Using GPS coordinates to determine location
- Estimating current position based on a known starting point, direction, and distance traveled (Correct answer)
- Reading street signs to confirm location
- Using landmarks visible from the current position
Correct answer: Estimating current position based on a known starting point, direction, and distance traveled
Dead reckoning is a navigation method where you calculate your current position using a known start, direction, and estimated distance traveled.
Question 7: A parking enforcement map shows a 'No Parking' zone highlighted in red between two fire hydrant symbols. What does the area between the hydrant symbols most likely represent?
- A bus stop zone
- The 15-foot no-parking buffer required around fire hydrants (Correct answer)
- A loading zone
- A handicap parking area
Correct answer: The 15-foot no-parking buffer required around fire hydrants
In most U.S. jurisdictions, vehicles must not park within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, and maps mark this buffer zone.
TEA Traffic Enforcement Agent Spatial Orientation and Map Reading 4
A dispatcher says a complaint is on the 'north curb' of Elm Street between 10th and 11th Ave.
When traveling eastbound on Elm Street, the north curb is to the officer's: