Quiz: How well can you use a map and compass?

EVERY FIRST CLASS Scout can compute a bearing from a map and follow it on the ground. But can he correct his compass for magnetic declination? Triangulate his position on a map? Interpret topographic dangers like falls and canyons? 

Take this quiz and see how much you and your Scouts know about wilderness navigation. You’ll need a compass and pencil to do some of the problems. Note: An incorrect question on a camping quiz is no big deal; one wrong compass bearing, however, will get you lost!

Choose the best answer. Some questions may have more than one right answer.

---

After taking the Get Your Bearings quiz, use this list of answers to check your work. 

These three “norths” are always indicated on a topographic map:

• True, magnetic, grid
• True, geographic, magnetic
• True, geographic, cartographic

You have computed a “true” map bearing of 90 degrees to your objective. The magnetic declination is 10 degrees east. What bearing should you set on your compass dial?

• 90 degrees
• 80 degrees
• 100 degrees
• The declination value doesn’t matter.

The “contour interval” is given in the margin of every topographic map. It tells you:

• The horizontal distance (in feet or meters) between contour lines
• The elevation of the contour lines
• The vertical distance (in feet or meters) between contour lines
• When the contour lines were last updated

If you make a 10-degree compass error over a 1-mile distance, you will probably miss your objective by about:

• 10 feet
• 100 feet
• 1,000 feet
• 10,000 feet

You are on Pikitigushi Lake (see map) and want to canoe the creek down to the lake at E. If you enter the creek and paddle south, you will:

• Paddle downstream, with the current.
• Paddle upstream, against the current.
• There is no current in the stream.
• The current reverses approximately halfway down the creek.

The contour interval on the Pikitigushi Lake map is 50 feet. What is the approximate elevation of Point A? Tip: Note the 1,000-foot contour line to the east.

• 1,000 feet
• 1,050 feet
• 1,150 feet
• 1,250 feet

You are canoeing on a lake. Your objective is a campsite on the far shore 1 mile away. The campsite is partially obscured by trees and can’t be seen from far away. The best plan is to:

• Compute a bearing to the campsite and follow the bearing. You should arrive on target.
• Compute a bearing to an imaginary point on the shore that’s a few hundred yards to the right or left of the campsite. Turn right or left when you hit shore. This is called “aiming off.”
• You are too far away from the campsite to compute an accurate bearing.

You are standing at Point C on the Pikitigushi Lake map. Describe the topography immediately to the east:

• Steep hill
• Gently rolling terrain
• Flat terrain

Compass required: You are standing on the hill at Point C. What is the true bearing to A?

• 160 degrees
• 320 degrees
• Northwest
• 60 degrees

You’re unsure exactly where you are on the Pikitigushi Lake map. But you can clearly see hills A and B. You shoot a compass bearing to each hill. The magnetic compass bearing to A is 320 degrees. The magnetic bearing to B is 346 degrees. Magnetic declination equals zero degrees. Where are you?

• Point C
• Point D
• Point E

You are following the 1,000-foot contour line on the Pikitigushi Lake map. You are walking:

• Uphill (gaining elevation)
• Downhill (losing elevation)
• On the level

What is the back bearing (reverse bearing) of 100 degrees?

• 280 degrees
• 80 degrees
• 260 degrees
• 290 degrees

Your troop is planning a backpacking trip in a rugged national park. Which topographic map would provide the most detail for hiking?

• A map with a scale of 1:100,000
• A map with a scale of 1:62,500
• A map with a scale of 1:24,000

The contour interval on Map A is 10 meters. It is 10 feet on Map B. Which map probably provides more detail about the topography?

• Map A
• Map B

You are located at Point B on Pikitigushi Lake. You want to hike to the small lake at Point E, two miles away. The safest plan is to:

• Shoot a compass bearing to point E and follow it.
• Shoot a compass bearing to some point along the creek and then follow the creek to the lake.
• Go due south for two miles and then go west until you hit the lake.
• Go west four contour lines and then follow the fifth line south to the lake.

You have been invited to canoe a river in Zambia, which is about 14 degrees south of the equator. Will the compass you purchased in Minnesota work in Zambia?

• It will not.
• It will work marginally well if you tilt the compass upward to level the needle so the needle will swing freely.
• It will work anywhere in the world if you adjust your bearings for magnetic declination.
• Yes, if you remember that in the southern hemisphere the south end of the needle points north.

The grid lines on a topographic map always point to true north.

• True.
• False.

A meandering line of zero magnetic declination (the “agonic line”) runs roughly from Wisconsin to Florida. Which statement is true?

• If you’re located east of the agonic line, say in New York, your magnetic declination is east. If you are west of the line, your declination is west.
• If you’re located west of the agonic line, say in Colorado, your declination is east. If you are east of the line, your declination is west.

Where contour lines on a map cross or run very close together, you’ll find:

• A falls or canyon
• A shallow area with no current
• A deep area with no current
• An impoundment