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Current USPS Safe Boating Test
(Hunters,Anglers,Campers)
Created: 16 August 2001
NSBT #4



Click the answers that you think are correct — see how your knowledge stacks up!
1. Freeboard is the:
  right side of a boat when facing the bow.
height of a boat's gunwale measured inside the cockpit.
distance from the water to the lowest point of a boat where water could come aboard.
provision of food and quarters for volunteer crews on ocean races.
2. Never anchor a boat from the stern alone because:
  when windy, waves can overwhelm a small boat and enter the boat over the transom.
the bow should always be pointing away from the wind.
it is difficult to adjust the rode for proper scope.
it is difficult to bring persons over the bow in an emergency.
3. If you run out of fuel, your first action should be to:
  try to anchor,if you are in a safe location.
call the Coast Guard and request an emergency fuel delivery.
tie up to the nearest buoy and wait for help to arrive.
In preparation for the Coast Guard arriving, make sure you have all required equipment onboard.
4. Hypothermia is:
  excessive perspiration and thirst resulting from exposure to the sun for a long period of time.
abnormal lowering of the body's internal temperature due to exposure to cold air, wind, or water.
a hallucinating reaction resulting from excessive loss of moisture in brain tissue.
abnormal raising of the body's internal temperature due to exposure to warm air, wind, or water.
5. Hunters can avoid overloading their small boats by:
  not carrying life preservers and cans of extra fuel.
placing guns, ammunition decoys, and hunting dogs low in the bottom of the boat.
carefully following the ratings on boat's capacity plate.
placing no more than two persons on each seat.
6. When hunting and fishing,insure the safety of your boat's occupants by:
  making sure everyone is standing up straight in a lightning storm.
assigning a shooting and fishing zone to each person.
storing loaded guns and sharp knives on the seat tops.
requiring everyone to stand while shooting or casting.
7. Small boats used by hunters and fishermen can be dangerous because they:
  have very little room for everyone to stand while hunting and fishing.
can be very unstable under adverse water and weather conditions.
are usually made of aluminum and get punctured with holes easily.
lack a capacity plate for guidance.
8. Running a small boat at night in unfamiliar waters is not recommended due to:
  the inability to get emergency help after sundown.
the many hazards that cannot be seen.
normal heavy winds and seas after sunset.
interference with the life cycles of the black-crowned night heron, buff-collared night jar, and common nighthawk.
9. Depths on a chart may be in feet, meters, or fathoms. You can tell the measurement used from the :
  chart compass rose.
chart title block.
special instruction sheet accompanying the chart.
purplish-red explanatory notes in the center of the chart.
10. Current:
  is horizontal movement of water.
is impossible to predict.
rarely reverses in direction.
is vertical movement of water.
11. Going downstream you will find diamond-shaped daymarks. They indicate:
  that you are going downstream.
entries into safe harbors.
the location of blind bends.
where there is a change in channel from one side to the other.
12. In a river, you will always find the strongest current and the deepest water:
  in the center of the river.
on the outside of bends.
where you see passing daymarks.
on the inside of bends.
13. Getting too close to either the upside or downside of a dam can be very dangerous. If your boat is swamped on the downside, there is a good chance that:
  you will impede river traffic.
it will be almost impossible to recue you.
you will be fined for not using a dam properly.
you will find yourself in a shallow channel.
14. A major concern when boating on the Great Lakes is the:
  high tidal range.
cold water.
muddy bottom.
plastic-boring sea worm.
15. A hull identification number not only identifies your boat but:
  is the registration number on the forward part of the hull.
prescribes the maximum horsepower engine for which the boat is rated.
identifies the materials of construction of that boat.
allows the owner to check and see if his boat is one that has a defect or is involved in a recall.
16. What condition affects a person's judgment,keeps the person from thinking clearly, reduces a boater's ability to survive in the water, and accounts for 50% of all boating fatalities?
  indigestion.
seasickness.
heat exhaustion.
alcohol and/or drug use.
17. When you rent a boat, the responsiblity for seeing that you have all legally-required equipment aboard lies with the:
  dock hand who delivers the boat to you.
boat's manufacturer.
person who rents the boat;you.
governmental bureau overseeing the boat rental agency.
18. You are trolling a lure for black bass behind your slow moving boat. According to The Navigation Rules you have:
  no special rights or privileges.
priority of movement over sailing vessels and other powerboats.
special privileges, because you are a boat restricted in maneuverability.
special privileges as long as you show the lights of a vessel engaged in fishing.
19. You are operating your boat in a narrow channel. The Rules state that you must keep your vessel:
  as close to the edge of the channel on your port side as is safe and practicable.
out of the channel if a large vessel approaches.
as close to the edge of the channel on your starboard side as safe and practicable.
with the wind and current on your stern for maximum control.
20. A recent Coast Guard study estimates that boat operators with a blood alcohol content above ________ percent are ten times more likely to be killed in a boating accident than boaters with a blood alcohol content of zero.
  .01
.10
.12
.14

 

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