Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) Practice
Exam Questions And Correct Answers (Verified
Answers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
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1. The primary purpose of floodplain management is to:
A. Eliminate all flooding
B. Reduce flood damage and protect public safety
C. Increase development in flood-prone areas
D. Control river navigation
Floodplain management focuses on minimizing risk to life and property
rather than eliminating floods entirely.
2. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was created to:
A. Provide disaster relief grants only
B. Regulate all rivers in the United States
C. Reduce flood losses through insurance and floodplain
management
D. Fund levee construction
The NFIP combines insurance, mapping, and management standards to
reduce flood losses.
3. A Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is defined as:
A. Any area near a river
B. The 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain
C. The area subject to a 1-percent-annual-chance flood
D. An area protected by levees
,The SFHA corresponds to the 100-year (1-percent-annual-chance)
floodplain.
4. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are primarily used to:
A. Predict daily river stages
B. Identify flood risk zones and insurance requirements
C. Approve building permits
D. Design drainage systems
FIRMs show flood zones, base flood elevations, and insurance
requirements.
5. The Base Flood Elevation (BFE) represents:
A. Average annual rainfall
B. Height of the 500-year flood
C. The elevation of the 1-percent-annual-chance flood
D. Maximum recorded flood level
BFE is tied to the base (100-year) flood used for regulation.
6. Which flood zone typically requires mandatory flood insurance for
federally backed loans?
A. Zone X
B. Zone B
C. Zone A or AE
D. Zone C
Zones A and AE are within the SFHA and require insurance.
7. A variance in floodplain management is best described as:
A. A permanent exemption from regulations
B. Relief from strict compliance under specific hardship
conditions
C. A map revision
D. A change in flood insurance rates
, Variances are rare exceptions granted when strict enforcement causes
undue hardship.
8. The Floodway is defined as:
A. The entire floodplain
B. The channel and adjacent areas needed to convey the base
flood without increasing BFE
C. Any developed area near water
D. An evacuation route
The floodway must remain unobstructed to pass floodwaters safely.
9. Encroachments into the floodway are:
A. Always prohibited
B. Allowed without analysis
C. Allowed only if they do not increase BFE
D. Encouraged for development
No-rise criteria are required for floodway encroachments.
10. A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is issued to:
A. Change flood insurance rates
B. Revise an entire flood map
C. Remove a structure or lot from the SFHA based on elevation
data
D. Approve new development
LOMAs correct map determinations using surveyed elevations.
11. A Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) is used to:
A. Grant a variance
B. Revise flood maps due to physical changes or new data
C. Waive insurance requirements
D. Change community ordinances
Exam Questions And Correct Answers (Verified
Answers) Plus Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
1. The primary purpose of floodplain management is to:
A. Eliminate all flooding
B. Reduce flood damage and protect public safety
C. Increase development in flood-prone areas
D. Control river navigation
Floodplain management focuses on minimizing risk to life and property
rather than eliminating floods entirely.
2. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was created to:
A. Provide disaster relief grants only
B. Regulate all rivers in the United States
C. Reduce flood losses through insurance and floodplain
management
D. Fund levee construction
The NFIP combines insurance, mapping, and management standards to
reduce flood losses.
3. A Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) is defined as:
A. Any area near a river
B. The 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain
C. The area subject to a 1-percent-annual-chance flood
D. An area protected by levees
,The SFHA corresponds to the 100-year (1-percent-annual-chance)
floodplain.
4. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are primarily used to:
A. Predict daily river stages
B. Identify flood risk zones and insurance requirements
C. Approve building permits
D. Design drainage systems
FIRMs show flood zones, base flood elevations, and insurance
requirements.
5. The Base Flood Elevation (BFE) represents:
A. Average annual rainfall
B. Height of the 500-year flood
C. The elevation of the 1-percent-annual-chance flood
D. Maximum recorded flood level
BFE is tied to the base (100-year) flood used for regulation.
6. Which flood zone typically requires mandatory flood insurance for
federally backed loans?
A. Zone X
B. Zone B
C. Zone A or AE
D. Zone C
Zones A and AE are within the SFHA and require insurance.
7. A variance in floodplain management is best described as:
A. A permanent exemption from regulations
B. Relief from strict compliance under specific hardship
conditions
C. A map revision
D. A change in flood insurance rates
, Variances are rare exceptions granted when strict enforcement causes
undue hardship.
8. The Floodway is defined as:
A. The entire floodplain
B. The channel and adjacent areas needed to convey the base
flood without increasing BFE
C. Any developed area near water
D. An evacuation route
The floodway must remain unobstructed to pass floodwaters safely.
9. Encroachments into the floodway are:
A. Always prohibited
B. Allowed without analysis
C. Allowed only if they do not increase BFE
D. Encouraged for development
No-rise criteria are required for floodway encroachments.
10. A Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) is issued to:
A. Change flood insurance rates
B. Revise an entire flood map
C. Remove a structure or lot from the SFHA based on elevation
data
D. Approve new development
LOMAs correct map determinations using surveyed elevations.
11. A Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) is used to:
A. Grant a variance
B. Revise flood maps due to physical changes or new data
C. Waive insurance requirements
D. Change community ordinances
