PCOC Boating Test Practice Test 6

All 36 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

1. What does a fairway buoy mark?

   1. A swimming area
   2. A no-wake zone
   3. An isolated rock or wreck in the channel
   4. Safe water, such as a channel centre

2. Which sound appliance must a vessel 12 m or longer carry?

   1. A siren
   2. A bell only
   3. A gong
   4. A whistle

3. What kind of top does an unlighted starboard hand buoy have?

   1. A round top
   2. A pointed (conical) top
   3. A yellow X topmark
   4. A flat top

4. Can a paddleboard leash replace your lifejacket or PFD?

   1. Yes, if you can swim
   2. Yes, on calm water
   3. Yes, if you stay within 30 m of the shore
   4. No, you still need a lifejacket or PFD

5. Your flares are 5 years old. What is the safe way to get rid of them?

   1. Fire them off over open water on Canada Day
   2. Ask the distributor how to return them
   3. Drop them at a fire hall
   4. Sink them in deep water

6. Your canoe carries three people but has only one PFD. What fine could you face?

   1. $100 in total
   2. $500 and a one-season boating ban
   3. $200 plus $100 per missing PFD
   4. A flat $250 fine

7. Which item is not approved safety equipment on any kind of boat?

   1. A small vessel lifejacket
   2. A lifebuoy
   3. A lifesaving cushion
   4. A buoyant heaving line

8. Your passengers are on board when you pull up to the fuel dock. What should they do while you fuel?

   1. Hold the fuel nozzle
   2. Move up to the bow
   3. Stay seated in the cabin
   4. Go ashore

9. When is a reboarding device required?

   1. Only on boats over 9 m
   2. When the climb back aboard is over 0.5 m
   3. Only for swimmers under 16
   4. Whenever the boat has an outboard

10. A small fire starts on board. Where should you aim the extinguisher?

    1. At the wall behind the fire
    2. At the top of the flames
    3. Into the smoke above the fire
    4. At the base of the flames

11. As the give-way vessel in a crossing situation, what should you avoid doing if you can?

    1. Passing astern of it
    2. Slowing down
    3. Crossing ahead of the other boat
    4. Altering course to starboard

12. Which type of lifejacket turns an unconscious person face-up the fastest?

    1. Inflatable pouch PFD
    2. Small vessel lifejacket
    3. Standard lifejacket
    4. SOLAS lifejacket

13. What is the fine for altering or removing a boat's hull serial number?

    1. $200
    2. $100
    3. $350
    4. $1,000

14. A 13-year-old with an operator card will drive a boat with a 60 hp motor. What makes this legal?

    1. Operating only in daylight
    2. Wearing an approved lifejacket at all times aboard
    3. A competent person 16+ directly supervises aboard
    4. Staying within 30 m of shore

15. You tow a small dinghy with a 15 hp motor behind your cruiser. Does the dinghy need its own licence?

    1. No, tenders are always exempt
    2. Only if it is used after dark
    3. No, the cruiser's licence covers it
    4. Yes, tenders with 10 hp or more need one

16. The lock has drop cables along its wall. How should you use your lines?

    1. Leave them once they are tied
    2. Use only the stern line
    3. Loop them around the cables, not tie them
    4. Tie them tightly to the cables with a cleat hitch

17. You see a red spar buoy while going upstream. What does it tell you?

    1. Keep it on your starboard (right) side
    2. No anchoring nearby
    3. A diver is below
    4. Keep it on your port (left) side

18. In which province does the 10 km/h shoreline speed limit apply on all waters?

    1. New Brunswick
    2. Quebec
    3. Prince Edward Island
    4. Saskatchewan

19. Who implements local boating restrictions under the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations?

    1. The Canadian Coast Guard
    2. Marina owners
    3. Local authorities
    4. Boating clubs

20. You build a boat in your garage for your own use, not for sale. What applies?

    1. It needs a compliance notice
    2. It must still meet construction standards
    3. It is exempt from all standards
    4. It needs a manufacturer's ID code

21. A strong wind warning is in effect for your area. What wind speed is expected?

    1. 34 to 47 knots
    2. 48 to 63 knots
    3. 20 to 33 knots
    4. 10 to 19 knots

22. What does a Sécurité broadcast usually announce?

    1. A request for a tow
    2. A life-threatening injury on board
    3. Safety information, like a hazard
    4. A boat that is sinking

23. What should you keep in mind when you see a mooring buoy?

    1. Swimmers are nearby
    2. It marks a hazard to avoid
    3. Deep water lies to its north
    4. A vessel may be tied to it

24. When you take action to avoid a collision, how should you make it?

    1. In many small course changes
    2. Early and large enough to be obvious
    3. Only after sounding five blasts
    4. At the last possible moment

25. Your boat has a toilet and you boat on Ontario waters. What is required?

    1. Any chemical toilet
    2. A portable toilet
    3. A holding tank emptied at pump-outs
    4. Overboard discharge 3 km offshore

26. Which of these is an aquatic invasive species found in Canada?

    1. Common loon
    2. Lake trout
    3. Quagga mussel
    4. Walleye

27. What happens during the roughly 10 minutes of cold incapacitation?

    1. You lose use of arms and legs
    2. Your breathing stops
    3. You lose consciousness
    4. Your body warms back up

28. A ship sounds five or more short, rapid blasts at you. What does it mean?

    1. It doubts you are acting to avoid it
    2. It is about to anchor in the channel
    3. It is greeting you
    4. It is turning to port to let you pass

29. Hypothermia begins when your body temperature drops below what level?

    1. 35°C
    2. 37°C
    3. 30°C
    4. 25°C

30. What are you not allowed to do in a historic canal between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.?

    1. Travel through the locks
    2. Use navigation lights
    3. Make excessive noise
    4. Tie up at a wharf

31. What do the two cone topmarks on a cardinal buoy tell you?

    1. The direction of the current
    2. Who owns the buoy
    3. The depth of the water
    4. Where to find safe water

32. A 14-year-old with proof of competency will operate a boat with no direct supervision. What is the maximum engine power?

    1. 10 hp (7.5 kW)
    2. 40 hp (30 kW)
    3. 25 hp (18.5 kW)
    4. 75 hp (56 kW)

33. A PWC used to tow a tuber must be designed to carry at least how many people?

    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 4

34. Your 14 m sailboat is motoring along the coast in daylight with its sails up. What shape must it display?

    1. A black ball in the rigging
    2. A diamond on the mast
    3. A cone, point down, forward
    4. A cylinder at the stern

35. What is the minimum length of the buoyant heaving line required on pleasure craft up to 24 m?

    1. 15 m (49 ft 3 in)
    2. 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
    3. 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
    4. 30 m (98 ft 5 in)

36. A sailboat may show two all-round lights in a vertical line at the top of the mast. What colours are they?

    1. White over red
    2. Red over green
    3. Red over white
    4. Green over red