TACTICAL TOOLS EXAM PAPER TEST 2025/2026 QUESTIONS WITH
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Black - ✔✔This color indicates cultural (man-made) features such as buildings and
roads, surveyed spot elevations, and all labels.
✔✔Blue - ✔✔Identifies hydrography or water features such as lakes, swamps, rivers,
and drainage.
✔✔Green - ✔✔This color identifies vegetation with military significance, such as woods,
orchards, and vineyards.
✔✔Reddish-brown - ✔✔The colors red and brown are combined to identify cultural
features such as boundaries and major roads, all relief features, non-surveyed spot
elevations, and elevations or contour lines
✔✔TYPES OF NORTH - ✔✔True North is a line from any point on the Earth's surface
to the North Pole. All lines of longitude converge at the North Pole and are true north
lines. A star is used to depict true north.
Magnetic North is the direction to the north magnetic pole, as indicated by the north-
seeking needle of a magnetic compass. Magnetic readings are used to navigate in the
field. A half arrowhead is used to depict magnetic north.
Grid North is the north that is established by using the vertical grid lines on the map.
Grid north lines are parallel lines on the map; they do not converge at the North Pole.
The letters GN are used to depict grid north.
✔✔Declination Diagram - ✔✔Declination diagram is the angular difference between true
north and either magnetic or grid north.
There are two declinations:
A magnetic declination
A grid declination
The declination diagram shows the angular relationship, represented by prongs, among
these three types of north.
✔✔G-M Angle - ✔✔G-M angle (grid-magnetic angle) value is the angular size that
exists between grid north and magnetic north and the year it was prepared.
This value is expressed to the nearest 1/2 degree, with mil equivalents shown to the
nearest 10 mils.
The G-M angle is important to the map reader/land navigator, because it will affect the
accuracy of navigation skills in the field.
,✔✔G-M Conversion - ✔✔G-M conversion is applying the angular difference between
the grid north and the magnetic north to convert compass readings to grid version for
use in navigation.
Since the location of this magnetic field does not correspond exactly with the grid-north
lines on the maps, a conversion from magnetic to grid or vice versa is needed.
Simply refer to the conversion notes that appear in conjunction with the diagram
explaining the use of the G-M angle.
One note provides instructions for converting a magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth, and
the other, for converting a grid azimuth to a magnetic azimuth.
The conversion (add or subtract) is governed by the direction of the magnetic-north
prong relative to that of the north-grid prong.
✔✔CONTOUR LINES - ✔✔Contour lines are the most common method of showing
relief and elevation on a standard topographic map. A contour line represents an
imaginary line on the ground, above or below sea level. All points on the contour line
are at the same elevation. The elevation represented by contour lines is the vertical
distance above or below sea level.
The three types of contour lines used on a standard topographic map are:
Index lines
Intermediate lines
Supplementary lines
✔✔Index - ✔✔Starting at zero elevation or mean sea level, every fifth contour line is a
heavier line.
These are known as index contour lines.
Each index contour line is typically numbered at some point.
This number is the elevation of that line.
✔✔Intermediate - ✔✔The contour lines falling between the index contour lines are
called intermediate contour lines.
These lines are finer and do not have their elevations given.
There are normally four intermediate contour lines between index contour lines.
✔✔Supplementary - ✔✔These contour lines resemble dashes.
They show changes in elevation of at least one-half the contour interval.
These lines are normally found where there is little change in elevation, such as on fairly
level terrain.
✔✔Contour Interval - ✔✔Before the elevation of any point on the map can be
determined, you must know the contour interval for the map you are using. The contour
interval measurement given in the marginal information is the vertical distance between
adjacent contour lines.
To determine the elevation of a point on the map, find the numbered index contour line
closest to the point you are trying to determine.
Determine if the point is a higher or lower elevation than the index contour line.
, Once that is established, you can count the number of contours higher or lower and, by
referencing the marginal data, determine your actual elevation.
✔✔ELEVATION AND RELIEF - ✔✔Terrain features do not normally stand alone. To
understand how various terrain features are depicted on a map by contour lines,
carefully examine the illustration on this page.
✔✔HILL - ✔✔A hill is an area of high ground. From a hilltop, the ground slopes down in
all directions.
A hill is shown on a map by contour lines forming concentric circles.
The inside of the smallest closed circle is the hilltop.
✔✔VALLEY - ✔✔A valley is reasonably level ground bordered on the sides by higher
ground. A valley may or may not contain a stream course.
Contour lines indicating a valley are U- or V-shaped and tend to parallel a stream before
crossing it.
The closed end of the contour line (U or V) always points upstream or toward high
ground.
A valley generally has maneuver room within its confines.
✔✔RIDGE - ✔✔A ridge is a sloping line of high ground. Standing on the centerline of a
ridge, you will normally have low ground in three directions and high ground in one
direction with varying degrees of slope.
Contour lines forming a ridge tend to be U-shaped or V-shaped. The closed end of the
contour lines points away from high ground.
Crossing a ridge at right angles, you will climb steeply to the crest and then descend
steeply to the base.
When moving along the path of the ridge, depending on the geographic location, there
may be an almost unnoticeable slope or a very obvious incline.
✔✔SADDLE - ✔✔A saddle is a dip or low point between two areas of higher ground. If
you are in a saddle, there is high ground in two opposite directions and lower ground in
the other two directions.
Contour lines for a saddle typically resemble an hourglass.
A saddle is not necessarily the lower ground between two hilltops; it may be simply a
dip or break along a level ridge crest
✔✔DEPRESSION - ✔✔A depression is a low point in the ground or a sinkhole. It could
be described as an area of low ground surrounded by higher ground in all directions, or
simply a hole in the ground.
Depressions are represented by closed contour lines that have tick marks pointing
toward low ground.
Usually, only depressions that are equal to or greater than the contour interval will be
shown.
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
✔✔Black - ✔✔This color indicates cultural (man-made) features such as buildings and
roads, surveyed spot elevations, and all labels.
✔✔Blue - ✔✔Identifies hydrography or water features such as lakes, swamps, rivers,
and drainage.
✔✔Green - ✔✔This color identifies vegetation with military significance, such as woods,
orchards, and vineyards.
✔✔Reddish-brown - ✔✔The colors red and brown are combined to identify cultural
features such as boundaries and major roads, all relief features, non-surveyed spot
elevations, and elevations or contour lines
✔✔TYPES OF NORTH - ✔✔True North is a line from any point on the Earth's surface
to the North Pole. All lines of longitude converge at the North Pole and are true north
lines. A star is used to depict true north.
Magnetic North is the direction to the north magnetic pole, as indicated by the north-
seeking needle of a magnetic compass. Magnetic readings are used to navigate in the
field. A half arrowhead is used to depict magnetic north.
Grid North is the north that is established by using the vertical grid lines on the map.
Grid north lines are parallel lines on the map; they do not converge at the North Pole.
The letters GN are used to depict grid north.
✔✔Declination Diagram - ✔✔Declination diagram is the angular difference between true
north and either magnetic or grid north.
There are two declinations:
A magnetic declination
A grid declination
The declination diagram shows the angular relationship, represented by prongs, among
these three types of north.
✔✔G-M Angle - ✔✔G-M angle (grid-magnetic angle) value is the angular size that
exists between grid north and magnetic north and the year it was prepared.
This value is expressed to the nearest 1/2 degree, with mil equivalents shown to the
nearest 10 mils.
The G-M angle is important to the map reader/land navigator, because it will affect the
accuracy of navigation skills in the field.
,✔✔G-M Conversion - ✔✔G-M conversion is applying the angular difference between
the grid north and the magnetic north to convert compass readings to grid version for
use in navigation.
Since the location of this magnetic field does not correspond exactly with the grid-north
lines on the maps, a conversion from magnetic to grid or vice versa is needed.
Simply refer to the conversion notes that appear in conjunction with the diagram
explaining the use of the G-M angle.
One note provides instructions for converting a magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth, and
the other, for converting a grid azimuth to a magnetic azimuth.
The conversion (add or subtract) is governed by the direction of the magnetic-north
prong relative to that of the north-grid prong.
✔✔CONTOUR LINES - ✔✔Contour lines are the most common method of showing
relief and elevation on a standard topographic map. A contour line represents an
imaginary line on the ground, above or below sea level. All points on the contour line
are at the same elevation. The elevation represented by contour lines is the vertical
distance above or below sea level.
The three types of contour lines used on a standard topographic map are:
Index lines
Intermediate lines
Supplementary lines
✔✔Index - ✔✔Starting at zero elevation or mean sea level, every fifth contour line is a
heavier line.
These are known as index contour lines.
Each index contour line is typically numbered at some point.
This number is the elevation of that line.
✔✔Intermediate - ✔✔The contour lines falling between the index contour lines are
called intermediate contour lines.
These lines are finer and do not have their elevations given.
There are normally four intermediate contour lines between index contour lines.
✔✔Supplementary - ✔✔These contour lines resemble dashes.
They show changes in elevation of at least one-half the contour interval.
These lines are normally found where there is little change in elevation, such as on fairly
level terrain.
✔✔Contour Interval - ✔✔Before the elevation of any point on the map can be
determined, you must know the contour interval for the map you are using. The contour
interval measurement given in the marginal information is the vertical distance between
adjacent contour lines.
To determine the elevation of a point on the map, find the numbered index contour line
closest to the point you are trying to determine.
Determine if the point is a higher or lower elevation than the index contour line.
, Once that is established, you can count the number of contours higher or lower and, by
referencing the marginal data, determine your actual elevation.
✔✔ELEVATION AND RELIEF - ✔✔Terrain features do not normally stand alone. To
understand how various terrain features are depicted on a map by contour lines,
carefully examine the illustration on this page.
✔✔HILL - ✔✔A hill is an area of high ground. From a hilltop, the ground slopes down in
all directions.
A hill is shown on a map by contour lines forming concentric circles.
The inside of the smallest closed circle is the hilltop.
✔✔VALLEY - ✔✔A valley is reasonably level ground bordered on the sides by higher
ground. A valley may or may not contain a stream course.
Contour lines indicating a valley are U- or V-shaped and tend to parallel a stream before
crossing it.
The closed end of the contour line (U or V) always points upstream or toward high
ground.
A valley generally has maneuver room within its confines.
✔✔RIDGE - ✔✔A ridge is a sloping line of high ground. Standing on the centerline of a
ridge, you will normally have low ground in three directions and high ground in one
direction with varying degrees of slope.
Contour lines forming a ridge tend to be U-shaped or V-shaped. The closed end of the
contour lines points away from high ground.
Crossing a ridge at right angles, you will climb steeply to the crest and then descend
steeply to the base.
When moving along the path of the ridge, depending on the geographic location, there
may be an almost unnoticeable slope or a very obvious incline.
✔✔SADDLE - ✔✔A saddle is a dip or low point between two areas of higher ground. If
you are in a saddle, there is high ground in two opposite directions and lower ground in
the other two directions.
Contour lines for a saddle typically resemble an hourglass.
A saddle is not necessarily the lower ground between two hilltops; it may be simply a
dip or break along a level ridge crest
✔✔DEPRESSION - ✔✔A depression is a low point in the ground or a sinkhole. It could
be described as an area of low ground surrounded by higher ground in all directions, or
simply a hole in the ground.
Depressions are represented by closed contour lines that have tick marks pointing
toward low ground.
Usually, only depressions that are equal to or greater than the contour interval will be
shown.
