Historical Tools of Navigation

History · 10 questions

Ten multiple-choice questions on historical instruments and techniques used for navigation at sea.

Answer each question first, then check with “Show the answer”. You can also play the same quiz in the Quizera app by searching for it in Explore, as a live game, a test or flashcards.

1. In which country is early maritime use of the magnetic compass documented?

   1. Greece
   2. China
   3. Norway
   4. India
   Show the answer

   B) China

2. Which planispheric instrument has a rotating rete and an alidade?

   1. Nocturnal
   2. Armillary sphere
   3. Planispheric astrolabe
   4. Sundial
   Show the answer

   C) Planispheric astrolabe

3. Which device measures a ship’s speed through water from the rotations of a submerged rotor?

   1. Chip log
   2. Lead line
   3. Traverse board
   4. Rotary ship log
   Show the answer

   D) Rotary ship log

4. Which optical principle does a sextant use to measure angles?

   1. Polarization
   2. Interference
   3. Diffraction
   4. Double reflection
   Show the answer

   D) Double reflection

5. What angle is measured by the historical lunar-distance method for finding longitude?

   1. Angular distance between the Moon and the Sun or a star
   2. Moon’s altitude above the horizon
   3. Sun’s altitude above the horizon
   4. Angular distance between two stars
   Show the answer

   A) Angular distance between the Moon and the Sun or a star

6. Which shipboard device recorded directions and time intervals with pegs placed in holes?

   1. Traverse board
   2. Logbook
   3. Sail plan
   4. Marine chronometer
   Show the answer

   A) Traverse board

7. Which tool could measure depth and use grease at its tip to collect a seabed sample?

   1. Rotary ship log
   2. Lead line
   3. Cross-staff
   4. Navigation sextant
   Show the answer

   B) Lead line

8. On a Mercator chart, what type of line represents a route at a constant bearing?

   1. Parabolic arc
   2. Meridian arc
   3. Rhumb line
   4. Great-circle arc
   Show the answer

   C) Rhumb line

9. Which instrument kept Greenwich time for comparison with local time when finding longitude?

   1. Marine chronometer
   2. Rotary ship log
   3. Lead line
   4. Traverse board
   Show the answer

   A) Marine chronometer

10. Which method calculates latitude from the Sun’s maximum altitude at local noon?

    1. Sunset observation
    2. Nocturnal observation
    3. Meridian altitude method
    4. Lunar-distance method
    Show the answer

    C) Meridian altitude method