PCOC Boating Test Practice Test 9

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. When are navigation lights required on a pleasure craft?

   1. Only when anchored overnight
   2. Sunset to sunrise and in low visibility
   3. Only when you are over 1 mile from shore
   4. Only on boats over 12 m

2. You try on a PFD and a friend lifts it straight up at the shoulders. The zipper reaches your nose. What does this tell you?

   1. It fits properly
   2. It is too loose
   3. It needs a crotch strap only
   4. It is too tight

3. Who publishes Canada's official nautical charts and publications?

   1. The Canadian Hydrographic Service
   2. Service Canada
   3. Transport Canada's licensing centre
   4. Parks Canada

4. Someone falls overboard. What should you do first?

   1. Sound the alarm and slow down
   2. Speed up to circle back
   3. Jump in after them
   4. Call your insurance company

5. You hear a Mayday and the boat in trouble is already talking directly with search and rescue. What should you do?

   1. Switch to channel 70
   2. Stand by and don't interfere
   3. Repeat their Mayday loudly
   4. Talk over them to offer help

6. Which VHF channel is the general channel for recreational boaters?

   1. Channel 70
   2. Channel 83B
   3. Channel 16
   4. Channel 68

7. What colours do Canadian-approved lifejackets (as opposed to PFDs) come in?

   1. Any bright colour
   2. Red, orange or yellow
   3. Orange or blue only
   4. Yellow or green only

8. Which person-overboard manoeuvre is fastest and best in calm water with good visibility?

   1. Reversing straight back
   2. A figure-eight at full speed
   3. The Anderson (single) turn
   4. The Williamson turn

9. A fire starts in your boat's wiring. Which class of fire is it?

   1. Class B
   2. Class K
   3. Class C
   4. Class A

10. How are cardinal buoys identified?

    1. By letters, not numbers
    2. By odd numbers
    3. By even numbers
    4. By compass degrees

11. Two power-driven boats are meeting head-on. What should each one do?

    1. Both stop and wait
    2. Turn to starboard and pass port to port
    3. The larger holds course; the smaller turns
    4. Turn to port and pass starboard to starboard

12. What monthly check does the guide recommend for your fire extinguisher?

    1. Weigh it on a bathroom scale
    2. Spray a short test burst
    3. Turn it upside down and shake it hard
    4. Leave it in the sun to warm up

13. You are running a power boat in fog. What must you have ready?

    1. Your engines, for immediate manoeuvre
    2. Your flares, ready to fire every minute
    3. Your anchor, ready to drop
    4. Your liferaft, inflated

14. When you can, how far should you stay from a diver-down flag?

    1. At least 100 m
    2. At least 10 m
    3. At least 30 m
    4. At least 500 m

15. After hours in a canvas-enclosed cockpit with the engine idling, a passenger has a headache, nausea and feels very tired. What should you suspect?

    1. Too much sun
    2. Low blood sugar
    3. Carbon monoxide poisoning
    4. Mild seasickness only

16. In which situation may you go without nautical charts and publications?

    1. Your boat is under 6 m
    2. You stay within 5 km of shore and only in daylight
    3. You have a GPS app
    4. Under 100 tons and you know the waters very well

17. A US resident brings her own boat to a Canadian lake for 3 weeks. Does she need Canadian-accepted proof of competency?

    1. Only if the boat is over 10 hp
    2. Yes, she needs a PCOC
    3. No, but she needs proof of residence
    4. Yes, after 7 days

18. Which emergency beacons work on the water today?

    1. Any Wi-Fi beacon
    2. 121.5 MHz beacons
    3. 406 MHz beacons
    4. 243 MHz beacons

19. An approaching boat's compass bearing from you is not changing as it gets closer. What does this mean?

    1. It is moving away from you
    2. It will pass well astern
    3. Risk of collision exists
    4. It has stopped

20. Which item can serve as the sound-signalling device on a boat under 12 m?

    1. A metal pot and spoon
    2. A cell phone ringtone
    3. A pealess whistle
    4. A flashlight

21. You see someone trapped in the backwash below a low-head dam. What should you do?

    1. Drive your boat in to pull them out
    2. Swim out to reach them
    3. Wait for them to swim free
    4. Call 911 and throw a line from a safe spot

22. Your PWC has no navigation lights. When may you ride it?

    1. In daylight with good visibility
    2. Any time if you go slowly
    3. For an hour after dark
    4. At night near shore

23. Which document proves legal ownership of a boat and gives it the right to fly the Canadian flag?

    1. Pleasure Craft Operator Card
    2. Pleasure craft licence
    3. Compliance notice
    4. Vessel registration

24. When should you use an orange smoke signal?

    1. Only from shore
    2. Only in daylight
    3. Only in thick fog
    4. Only at night

25. You haven't returned by the time in your sail plan. Who should your contact call?

    1. Your boat insurance company
    2. Environment Canada
    3. The Pleasure Craft Licensing Centre
    4. A Joint Rescue Coordination Centre

26. Where is the Canadian compliance notice attached on a motorized pleasure craft under 24 m?

    1. At the helm, where it can be seen
    2. Under the bow seat cushion
    3. On the trailer tongue
    4. Inside the engine compartment

27. Your boat carries a working VHF marine radio. How does this affect the number of flares you must carry?

    1. It doubles
    2. It does not change
    3. It can be cut by half
    4. Flares are no longer needed

28. Which of these is an acceptable reboarding device?

    1. A dock line also used for mooring
    2. A swim platform ladder
    3. The outboard motor bracket
    4. The propeller housing

29. On a boating restriction sign, what does a green border on part of the symbol mean?

    1. It applies only to sailboats
    2. The restriction is lifted
    3. A special condition applies
    4. It is advice, not law

30. What minimum distance from marine mammals do the rules generally require?

    1. 25 m when idling
    2. 50 m or more
    3. 10 m
    4. 100 m or more

31. What is the minimum height of the characters in a licence number on the bow?

    1. 15 cm (6 in)
    2. 5 cm (2 in)
    3. 7.5 cm (3 in)
    4. 10 cm (4 in)

32. Having more than the legal level of alcohol or THC in your blood within how many hours of boating is an offence?

    1. 30 minutes
    2. 2 hours
    3. 6 hours
    4. 12 hours

33. Your power boat meets a sailboat that is under sail. Which boat must keep out of the way?

    1. Your power boat
    2. The sailboat
    3. The larger of the two
    4. The faster of the two

34. You rent a motorboat from a marina company but have no operator card. How can you meet the proof-of-competency rule?

    1. Ask the marina to waive it for the day
    2. Show your car driver's licence
    3. Complete and sign the rental safety checklist
    4. Carry a copy of a friend's card

35. You fall into cold water. What should you focus on during the first minute?

    1. Shouting for help constantly
    2. Keeping your airway clear and slowing your breathing
    3. Removing heavy clothing
    4. Swimming hard for shore now, before your muscles weaken

36. In a historic canal, how close to a lock may you fish?

    1. No closer than 40 m
    2. No closer than 10 m
    3. Anywhere but the chamber
    4. No closer than 100 m