Texas Civil Service Exam Map Reading and Spatial Orientation 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer is dispatched to the southeast corner of 5th Street and Elm Avenue. The streets run north-south and east-west respectively. The officer arrives at the intersection. Which corner should she go to?
- The corner to her right if she arrived from the north on 5th Street
- The corner diagonally opposite the northwest corner
- Both A and B are correct (Correct answer)
- Neither A nor B is correct
Correct answer: Both A and B are correct
The southeast corner is diagonally opposite the northwest corner, and if arriving northbound on 5th Street, it is to the right.
Question 2: When reading a map, 'magnetic north' differs from 'true north' by what is called:
- Grid variance
- Magnetic declination (Correct answer)
- Compass deviation
- Polar offset
Correct answer: Magnetic declination
Magnetic declination is the angular difference between magnetic north (where a compass points) and true geographic north.
Question 3: A person walks 4 blocks north, then 3 blocks east. Using straight-line distance, how far is she from her starting point?
- 7 blocks
- 5 blocks (Correct answer)
- 6 blocks
- 4 blocks
Correct answer: 5 blocks
Using the Pythagorean theorem: √(4² + 3²) = √(16 + 9) = √25 = 5 blocks straight-line distance.
Question 4: On a topographic map, a closed circular contour line with hachure marks (small inward-pointing lines) represents:
- A hilltop
- A depression or crater (Correct answer)
- A water source
- A building
Correct answer: A depression or crater
Hachure marks on contour lines point toward lower elevation, so a closed contour with inward hachures indicates a depression.
Question 5: An officer at position A needs to reach position B, which is directly across a city block. The block is 300 feet wide (east-west) and 200 feet long (north-south). If she must walk along the perimeter to go from the SW corner to the NE corner, what is the shortest perimeter route?
- 500 feet (Correct answer)
- 300 feet
- 200 feet
- 400 feet
Correct answer: 500 feet
The shortest perimeter route from SW to NE corner is either north then east (200+300=500 feet) or east then north (300+200=500 feet).
Question 6: Which of the following correctly describes latitude lines on a globe?
- They run north to south and measure east-west position
- They run east to west and measure north-south position (Correct answer)
- They converge at the equator
- They are measured from the prime meridian
Correct answer: They run east to west and measure north-south position
Latitude lines (parallels) run east to west horizontally and measure how far north or south a location is from the equator.
Question 7: A civil service map shows a symbol of crossed pickaxes. This symbol most likely represents:
- A police station
- A fire station
- A mine or quarry (Correct answer)
- A construction zone
Correct answer: A mine or quarry
Crossed pickaxes or crossed tools are standard cartographic symbols for mines, quarries, or mineral extraction sites.
Texas Civil Service Exam Map Reading and Spatial Orientation 4
An officer is dispatched to the southeast corner of 5th Street and Elm Avenue.
The streets run north-south and east-west respectively.
The officer arrives at the intersection.
Which corner should she go to?